Sport Central, United Cycle to help kids and families displaced by Alberta wildfires with $500,000 in gear
Arriving this week, the gift follows a promise made earlier this year to lighten the load for families in Fort McMurray and Wood Buffalo, Alta.
Youth, families and the athletic communities of Fort McMurray and Wood Buffalo, Alta., ground zero for May’s wildfires in northern Alberta, will receive some much-needed relief courtesy of Sport Central and its founding organization, United Cycle. The two outfits, it was announced, will donate more than $500,000 worth of sporting equipment, gathered from industry and private donors.
For Sport Central, an Alberta charity with 25 years’ experience helping kids in need stay active, it’s a cause close to the heart.
The gift, collected from 14 high-profile industrial names and a number of private benefactors, follows a promise made earlier this season to lighten the burden shouldered by children and families after the fires of summer 2016 devastated their livelihoods — and their ability to continue their athletic pursuits. “We started outfitting the children of displaced families a day after the evacuation,” said Sheldon Oleksyn, Sport Central’s executive director, “and we haven’t stopped. We have been working closely with our founding partner, United Cycle, on a number of initiatives enabling children from the north to keep playing the sports they love.”
Further, it’s hoped that the sporting gear drive that led to the gift will have a far-reaching and enduring impact.
When the initiative was launched, a principal goal was the establishment of the Fort McMurray Sport Equipment Distribution Centre, a legacy project that would continue to provide the community with access to quality sporting gear for years. In making this first collection, a process of recycling and re-using sports equipment, officials say, will ride its momentum for years, giving young northern Alberta athletes between 3 and 17 the means to surpass their competitive goals.
The donation will be made on Wednesday, Sept. 7, when representatives from Fort McMurray Minor Hockey, Fort McMurray Minor Baseball and Fort McMurray Minor Football will be presented with a semi-trailer loaded with donated gear.
