Richmond Sports Council will soon be handing out funding to young people who fall through the cracks of traditional financial supports.
Many young athletes playing competitive sports benefit from help from the likes of KidSport and government grants.
However, there are many involved in active recreational activities that don’t receive any financial backing and the sports council’s new “Active Recreation & Sport Fund.”
The goal of the fund, according to the sports council, is to help young people participate in their chosen physical/recreational activity or sport “where financial barriers impact inclusion - and where funding is not available through other programs available in the community, that place limitations on applicants.”
Formalized activities that are not aligned with a “Provincial Sports Organization (PSO)” will be eligible for funding, such as dance, martial arts and other organized recreational groups and activities.
“(The program) started a month ago, but it has been in the works for a year,” Richmond Sports Council (RSC) chair Stuart Corrigal told the Richmond News.
“We just had to find the funding from the city as there are gaps in the funding for the kids.
“If you’re not in a PSO sport, you are kind of overlooked for the traditional funding options. This is what we’re targeting here.”
Corrigal said the initial discussion came up with the RSC’s city council liaison, Coun. Bill McNulty, who was able to engineer an $5,000 to kick off the program.
“If it becomes successful, we could get an increase on that. We just want to offer an alternative to people that are excluded,” added Corrigal.
“But we’re not just accepting any application, there is still a criteria to be fulfilled. But we would be looking at awarding $300 to $500 to each successful applicant to pay for the likes of structured classes, not drop-in activities.”
Corrigal said anyone interested in applying should email the RSC at [email protected].
Anyone wanting more information can see the information package and application form from https://www.richmondsportscouncil.com/
