Star-Studded Sports Ball Helps Needy Kids Score Goals

S'port Grants Give Youth Chance to Excel

Toronto, June 3 -- The S'port for Kids Foundation (SFK) will trade sports gloves for glitter to celebrate the 2002 S'port for Kids Ball (6 p.m.) on Friday, June 7, and raise funds for needy children who lack the financial means to participate in sports programs. Four outstanding organizations in the GTA that champion sports program for disadvantaged youth will be awarded S'port Grants.

Canadian entertainer and songwriter, Amy Sky, The Nylons and Tracy Wilson, Olympic medallist and sports analyst will join the recipients at centre stage at the Premier Ballroom and Convention Centre, Richmond Hill. To top off the gala evening, Mayor William (Bill) Bell of Richmond Hill, Honorary Chair of the Foundation, and Mayor Don Cousens of Markham will put their jobs up for auction and challenge business and community leaders to bring in the winning bid to be "Mayor for a Day". Tax deductible, charitable donations will support new sports programs.

The 2002 S'port Grant recipients – The Yonge Street Mission, Toronto City Mission, Regent Park Community Centre and Toronto Police Service "Stay in School and Keep the Peace" Basketball Program – will partner with the Foundation and organize sports programs that encourage young people to achieve their full potential. (See Fact Sheet)

" Most people take participation in sports for granted, but there are thousands of children in the GTA who are denied a vital part of healthy childhood development because they can't afford to join a sports team," said Alex Yuan, Chairman of the Foundation. "The sports programs will expose children to leadership and team-building skills and provide the positive reinforcement and encouragement they require to stay in school and succeed," Yuan said.

The Foundation's S'port Grants ensure that less privileged children can play in safe and supportive environments. For many, this is a positive alternative to being left alone at home or on the street with gangs and violence. The funding also helps new Canadians integrate into communities, through sports participation.

Since 1999, S'port for Kids has awarded S'port Grants to the Academy of Sports and Fitness Gymnastics Club, Anduhyan Children's Program, Canadian Chinese Youth Athletic Association, Regent Park Community Centre, Children’s Aid, Toronto City Mission, Toronto Police Services Stay in School and Keep the Peace Basketball Program and Yonge Street Mission.

The value of recreational sport is widely acknowledged as an essential component of a child's physical, emotional and social development, but government cutbacks have made it difficult for community sport organizations to survive. Now, Canadian health professionals are taking greater interest in community programs, in light of reports that attribute the significant increase in obesity in youth to a lack of physical activity and poor nutrition. As well, Dr. Dan Offord of McMaster University recently reported in the Ontario Child Health Study, that participation in sporting activities helps to offset some of the limitations to children's social and psychological growth that are imposed by poverty.

Founded in 1997, the S'port for Kids Foundation is a national, registered charity that invests in the well being and personal growth of youth through sport. The organization is managed by a volunteer Board of Directors comprised of business and community leaders in the GTA. It allocates 100% of its net proceeds to programs for deserving youth.

For Information Contact:

Alex Yuan, Chairman, S'port for Kids Foundation - 905-886-4392

Lynne Beckett, Becklyn Communications - 416-781-8301

Web site: www.sportforkids.ca