The Prince Rupert Kidsport chapter has an additional $4,000 to help kids access sports this year following the charitable organization’s inaugural softball tournament.
The tournament, played on the weekend of July 15, featured a round-robin of five teams each supported by a major sponsor. The sponsors included: Wainwright Marine, Prince Rupert Port Authority, Trigon, Prince Rupert Grain, and Saam Towage.
The community stepped up as well, with members of the public paying $20 to join members of the Kidsport board of directors in the tournament. That money went directly to the fund to support kids.
In the end, it was Wainwright Marine who won the tournament, but according to Brody Hemrich, one of the organizers, it’s Prince Rupert children who are the real winners.
Kidsport is a national organization that started in 1993 as a program of Sport BC to help kids whose families have limited means to pay registration fees so that everybody can “get into the game.”
In Prince Rupert families can apply for up to $400 toward registration. Application information is available on the Kidsport Prince Rupert website.
To be eligible a child must be 18 years of age or younger and live in Prince Rupert. Eligibility is also based on family size and income. For example, a family of four must earn less than $62,783 per year to qualify.
Non-Rupert residents have to apply through their local chapter or the provincial program.
The sport organization must be a member of Sport BC and offer a minimum six week season (at least one session per week) of play with a qualified coach. There are more than a dozen qualified sports organizations in Prince Rupert.
Natalie Allen, co-chair of Kidsport Prince Rupert, said the chapter has funded 27 applications in the past 12 months worth more than $8,000.
In the past 30 years, more than a million kids across the country who may not have been able to play organized sports have benefited from the program.
thom.barker@blackpress.ca
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