Young Greater Trail athletes can get a jump on the summer sports season, thanks to Canadian Tire’s Jumpstart Day on Saturday.
Jumpstart’s One Million Red Balls campaign is a national fundraising effort that encourages customers to donate $2 in exchange for a red ball – the national symbol for child’s play.
All funds raised at the Trail Canadian Tire go towards Trail’s Jumpstart program that has helped over 250 Greater Trail kids participate in sport and other activities.
“It’s a really easy application process,” said Trail Jumpstart coordinator Lisa Manaigre. “It’s helping kids pay for registration for sports groups. It can pay for equipment and it can pay for transportation as well.”
Each family is eligible to receive up to $150 per child per six-month term. The terms are divided into spring and summer sports, and fall and winter pursuits so families can apply twice a year for each child, explained Manaigre.
The Trail Jumpstart program benefits those families that cannot afford to enroll their children in organized sport and recreation.
“We never seem to run out of funds, and we definitely want to use up everything we’re allotted for,” she said. “So promoting it is great, because I don’t think a lot of people know about it or they might not think they qualify for it, so it’s good to inquire.”
Since 2005, Jumpstart has helped almost 500,000 kids across Canada by removing the financial barriers that prevent children from participating.
Trail Canadian Tire will host Jumpstart Day offering table-top games, balloon pop, and a GoClean carwash and invite all residents to come play.
Applications can be picked up at the Trail Aquatic Centre or online visit jumpstart.canadiantire.ca for more information.