Without KidSport Curtis Scott says he might never have laced up the skates to play hockey.
“My family has always struggled a bit with getting me into hockey, and it’s something I’ve always wanted to do,” he said. “So, my mom and grandma have always found a way to help.
“KidSport was one of the biggest groups we went to for money. I’m sure there’s a lot of people I know that have had the same problems as us.”
However, the economic downturn means KidSport Calgary, which for years has raised funds to provide sports opportunities for children facing financial barriers, has been struggling recently, affecting its ability to help people like Scott.
The Calgary chapter supports athletes in the city and communities within a 50-km radius, such as Airdrie, Cochrane, Chestermere, and High River, among others.
Due to the downturn, nearly twice as many people have gone to the organization for help. On the flip side, donations are also down making it difficult to meet the rising need.
Sandra Scott, Curtis’s mother and a KidSport volunteer, has had two sons benefit from the program. She is also one of the many people whose family has been affected by the situation.
To compensate for the growing need and decrease in funds, KidSport has had to adjust its support levels to families.
“A decrease in funds is the way we have decided to combat this situation in order for us to continue to help as many kids as possible,” said Kevin Webster, KidSport executive director. “Up until April, we have been funding $400 per kid, per year. Now we’ve had to decrease that to $250 per kid, so we can fund as many people as possible without having to turn anyone away.
Sandra said the decrease in funding per family has been hard.
“The price of sports hasn’t gone down, it keeps going up and so does the price of equipment,” she said.
“I’ve been lucky in the past that’s it’s helped me a lot, but last year and this one it hasn’t done as much. You understand why that is, and you keep pushing on. There’s a lot of kids who haven’t been able to do sport, but we’ve been lucky since we could go to family members for help.
“One of the reasons I started to work with KidSport is because we’re so committed. I’m willing to volunteer and do things to help the organization so that it can help other people.”
Curtis, 15, who plays hockey, is aware of the sacrifices being made so he can follow his passion, and knows without KidSport’s help it would not have been possible.
Does he feel that he wouldn’t have been able to play hockey if not for KidSport’s support?
“Absolutely,” he admitted, “I really believe that.”
Recently, the organization has been going to great lengths to get the word out it is in need of more support.
“A couple weeks ago, we sent out a press release to try and generate conversation in the community and let people know our demand is up this year by 80 per cent,” Webster said. “Our fundraising is down, but we still have some events to gain revenue.
“That being said, our demand has severely outgrown our typical fundraising, so we need to find new ways and new partners to generate more funds.”
While the downturn has played a massive part in this increased demand, KidSport has seen constant increases over the last few years, but nothing could have prepared the organization for this term’s fallout.
“There have been steady increases of 20 per cent over the last couple years, so the demand for our organization has been on the incline,” Webster said. “But, the jump we saw this year was not something we have could have expected or had any foresight of.
“We’ve never seen anything like this in our 21 years as an organization.”
Last year, the group helped around 4,200 children, distributing $1.2 million to support them. Calgary received the biggest piece of the pie, while $24,000 was distributed in and around Cochrane to help 64 kids.
As to where families like the Scotts go from here, Sandra believes since Cochrane has a great sports community, support will always get to those who need it the most, and numerous organizations are always there to offer help.
“I’ve emailed all of the different organizations in town like Sports4Life, Spray Lake, and the Town of Cochrane making sure they knew who I was,” she said. “If they’re having sports registration anywhere in town they let me know what’s going on and I come out with applications for those who want them. There are so many organizations around that you can get help from at different times of the year in Cochrane.
“You can’t just use one now, you have to use them all to get the help you need.”
For more information on KidSport visit www.kidsportcalgary.ca
