The Lethbridge Sport Council has announced that the Pathway to Participation for Indigenous Families project will be providing over 150 sport backpacks to children and youth in the community.
An important part of a healthy lifestyle is physical activity and the Lethbridge Sport Council believes that all children should have access to it.
The backpacks will help to provide Indigenous youth and children with the opportunity to participate in a variety of different sports and recreation activities.
Student Support Worker at Senator Buchanan Elementary School, Carleen Meyer, says “Our school works very hard to assist families and students in any way we can, to help them be successful. We serve a diverse community, and some struggle to provide the basics.”
“Many of the families that will be benefiting from the backpacks do not have the means to enroll their children in organized sports outside of school. The gift of sports equipment will help them practice skills, build a sense of community, as well as giving them something social and productive to do in their downtime. A high number of our Indigenous students live in an urban complex with many other families. I am sure the equipment will be well utilized when the kids all gather in the courtyard,” adds Meyer.
While Lethbridge Sport Council Program and Event Coordinator Shawn Daye-Finley says, “We are grateful to offer these backpacks to so many and are excited about the positive impact they will have. A huge thank you to our partners for helping to make this project possible, and we look forward to seeing the smiles on the faces of these children as they receive their backpack.”
This project was made possible by the support of various partners including grant funding from the Government of Alberta, sport equipment from Calgary Flames Sports Bank, family swim passes from Recreation Excellence Lethbridge, skate passes thanks to the City of Lethbridge, and backpacks from the Lethbridge 2020 Summer Games Society.
