In 2013, Kidsport, sponsored through Sport Nova Scotia, and the Canadian Tire Jump Start Program have helped 220 Pictou County youths by giving out a total of $54,000.
“It is a lot higher than when we originally started,” said Fraser. “When we first started Jumpstart here in 2005, we had $6,000 to give away.”
Fraser said each program will give $300 to each child in need. Kidsport allocates money to children who are registered in mainstream sports such as minor hockey, basketball, karate, judo or volleyball. It also takes in school sports sanctioned under the Nova Scotia School Athletic Federation. Applicants to Kidsport must show their financial income. If they are below a certain threshold then the money will be granted.
The Canadian Tire Jump Start program allocates funding for both sport and recreational activities. Fraser said any eligible program must have physical activity component to it. For example, she said, Jumpstart includes dance or even Scouting and Guiding clubs because they involve physical activity.
There is an application process with Jumpstart as well, but instead of providing financial records, an applicant can have someone in the community vouch for their financial situation.
“A lot of people get their employer, clergy, caseworker or even school principal to sign the application. It has to be someone who knows the child and their financial situation,” she said.
In addition to registration fees, some of the programs also cover equipment costs. For example, she said, if you apply to Jumpstart to have the registration costs covered for a learn-to-skate program that only comes to $100, then a person can also apply for equipment costs.
Fraser said applicants can’t receive assistance from Jumpstart and Kidsport for the same sports program in the same year. If a child plays hockey then funding can only come from Kidsport or Jumpstart, however, if a child plays hockey in the winter and ball in the summer, they are eligible for receiving funding for both sports because they are different sport programs at different times of the year.
She said one of the reasons why assistance from these programs has increased during the past nine years is because local chapters of Kidsport and Jumpstart have been formed, making it more accessible to Pictou County residents.
“The Pictou County chapter deals with kids in the area,” she said. “We have a committee at this level, we review the applications and help people in this area.”
Fraser said it is rewarding to see children playing in sports they enjoy and know they are there because of the assistance made through these two programs.
“There is one story I remember,” she said. “We used to give money to child and it helped him stay involved. He actually went into a local talent show and the award for winning the talent show was a donation to his favourite charity. He chose Kidsport.”
She said allocation of funding for Kidsport is done in January, March, May, July, September and November. Jumpstart has added a fourth allocation date which now includes February, April, July and October.
Fraser added that people don’t have to wait until a program starts to receive funding. If someone knows their son or daughter is playing a sport in September, they can apply in summer for funding.
For more information on Kidsport or Jumpstart, contact Fraser at [email protected]
Jumpstart
• One in three Canadian families cannot afford to enrol their kids in organized sports and physical activity
• It gets kids in the game by assisting with the costs associated with registration, equipment and/or transportation for sports and physical activity programming. It also lends support to unique initiatives aimed at increasing access to sports and physical activity programming
• 100% of customer donations go directly to help kids in financial need participate in organized sports and physical activity.
◦Canadian Tire Jumpstart helps kids from financially disadvantaged families, ranging in age from 4 to 18.
KidSport
• KidSport’s success is attributed to 4,000 volunteers across the country, and the organization’s highly engaged corporate partners, including a partnership with Hyundai Auto Canada Corp., which led to the creation of the Hyundai Hockey Helpers (HHH).
The HHH program is dedicated to helping kids get into the game by providing grants for league registration fees and equipment.
• Through a confidential application process, KidSport covers the cost of registration fees for a season of organized sport for families experiencing financial barriers. KidSport believes no child should be left on the sidelines and all should be given the opportunity to experience the positive benefits of organized sports.
• KidSport is a national not-for-profit organization that helps remove financial barriers that prevent kids from playing sport by providing assistance for registration fees and sport equipment to children aged 18 and under.
• Since its creation in 1993, over 450,000 kids across the country have been given the chance to play sport through KidSport grants and sport introduction programming.
• KidSport has disseminated over $37 million in grants to Canadian children.
Over $6 million in distributions providing children across Canada the opportunity to play organized sport in 2013
