- A total of $812,000 being distributed to support grassroots parasport programming
- Program provides opportunities for children with disabilities to be active
OTTAWA, Oct. 4, 2018 /CNW/ - Several community organizations across Canada will be getting a boost towards their efforts to offer accessible and affordable sport for children and youth with disabilities, as the Canadian Paralympic Committee and Canadian Tire Jumpstart Charities announced today the recipients of the 2018 Parasport Jumpstart Fund.
A total of $812,000 is being distributed to 29 organizations across six provinces to assist in the creation, sustainability, and improvement of parasport programming. The Parasport Jumpstart Fund aims to remove barriers for children and youth with disabilities to participate in physical activity or sport, offering grants to community and sport organizations providing accessible opportunities for play.
CLICK HERE for the complete list of 2018 Parasport Jumpstart Fund recipients.
"Thank you to Canadian Tire Jumpstart Charities for your continued investment and belief in the power of parasport, and to our incredible 2018 recipients for the work you do every day to support children with disabilities," said Karen O'Neill, CEO, Canadian Paralympic Committee.
"We have seen firsthand the positive impact sport can have, and it is so important for children to have access to affordable and accessible sport opportunities. This is a critical foundation to developing a sustainable sport system in Canada."
A partnership between the Canadian Paralympic Committee and Canadian Tire Jumpstart Charities, the Parasport Jumpstart Fund was created in 2013 and has now distributed nearly $2 million in funding.
Launched in 2017, Jumpstart's Play Finds A Way movement, a commitment by Canadian Tire Corporation to help raise $50 million in an effort to remove accessibility barriers to sport and play, involved a $5 million expansion of the Parasport Jumpstart Fund over five years. The $812,000 of grants available this year marks the largest investment in one year so far by the program.
"Since 2005, Jumpstart has been committed to removing financial barriers to sport and recreation, helping more than 1.7 million kids get in the game," said Scott Fraser, President, Canadian Tire Jumpstart Charities. "We are proud to expand on this mandate through Play Finds A Way, so we can support programs like the Parasport Jumpstart Fund, thereby creating more opportunities for sport and play for children of all abilities."
The Parasport Jumpstart Fund was also recently recognized by the Canadian Sport Awards, winning for Corporate Excellence in the category of National Initiative Support. The awards were announced by AthletesCAN on September 20.
About the Canadian Paralympic Committee: Paralympic.ca
About Canadian Tire Jumpstart Charities
Canadian Tire Jumpstart Charities is a national charity dedicated to helping kids overcome financial and accessibility barriers to sport and recreation in order to provide inclusive play for kids of all abilities. With an extensive, national network of more than 2,100 Community Partners and nearly 300 local chapters, Jumpstart helps eligible families cover the costs of registration, transportation, and equipment, and provides funding to selected organizations for recreational infrastructure and programming. Supported by the Government of Canada through Sport Canada and the Canadian Tire Family of Companies, which includes Canadian Tire, PartSource, Gas+, FGL (Sport Chek, Hockey Experts, Sports Experts, National Sports, Intersport and Atmosphere), Mark's and Canadian Tire Financial Services, Jumpstart has enabled 1.7 million Canadian kids and counting to get in the game since 2005. For more information, visit jumpstart.canadiantire.ca.
Follow Jumpstart on Twitter and Facebook to learn about how the charity is giving kids across Canada a sporting chance.
SOURCE Canadian Paralympic Committee (Sponsorships)
MEDIA CONTACTS: Nicole Watts, Manager, Public Relations, Canadian Paralympic Committee, [email protected] / 613-569-4333 ext. 262; Julia Wilkinson, Communications Advisor, Canadian Tire Corporation, [email protected] / 416-464-2794
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