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Kidsport being resurrected in Ponoka

Ponoka KidSport more than just help for registration fees
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A local chapter of Kidsport is being resurrected in Ponoka because the program is important to so many kids.

Last summer, the provincial organization came to town hoping to generate interest in restarting the chapter that had to be shut down due to a variety of issues. That’s when Lyndee McCutcheon, who is now chairperson for the Ponoka chapter, got involved.

“When I read about it and found out they needed people, I jumped on it. They helped walk me through everything and what is needed here is a lot bigger than a lot of people realize,” said McCutcheon.

Kidsport was developed to provide assistance so youth could play sports, but it has evolved to more than paying for registration fees. It now also helps with equipment and other expenses.

She stated that in 2016, nearly $13,000 was dished up to support 64 kids play various sports in Ponoka. That’s a big number when compared to the $9,000 spent in the same year on 41 kids in the larger community of Sylvan Lake.

“There were other larger centres than Ponoka and we still did more than them,” McCutcheon said.

“When you start to look at things, it’s pretty crazy that a community of around 6,700 had given the chance to that many kids. And the demand continues to be huge in Ponoka.”

A lot of the reason behind the large numbers locally is, in part, because of the income levels of area residents. Applicants qualify for funding if the family meets the low income threshold, which works out to be around $60,000 for a family of four.

“There is a stigma that Kidsport is just for low income, but the cutoff for families is higher than the $46,000 definition of low income because we look at those up to 30 per cent about that,” she added.

“That extra room provides a surprising amount of families to qualify. As well, equipment plus other costs can be a barrier, which is why that added room is necessary. Just because you meet things at first, when things get tighter the first thing cut is travelling or buying that piece of equipment, so then the child can’t play.”

McCutcheon’s theory is that if kids are busy playing a sport they enjoy and are involved with, they are less likely to become involved in less beneficial pursuits.

“It’s not only the physical benefit aspect, but they also learn tremendous life skills such as developing friendships and learning to be leaders. There are so many of those ‘little’ things they learn that can help them as they carry on through their lives and contribute to a healthy lifestyle,” she noted.

Need some help

As the chapter is getting back on its feet, it is looking for some volunteers to help the operation, specifically, there is a need for a treasurer and people to assist with media relations.

“We definitely need a treasurer and if we got more than one to help on the media side, then I would love to have a sub-committee formed to deal with all of it,” she said.

“Also, I know there are a lot of people that can’t devote a lot of time, so we have set up a ‘Friends of Kidsport’ option for anyone that wants to support our work.”

These ‘friends’ can be involved as much or as little as they wish and can stay abreast of what’s going on through a mailing list and are still valuable members of the group, according to McCutcheon. They can be individuals, families, businesses or other organizations, but the goal is simply to have more people become part of what Kidsport does.

“I’d love to have more coaches join as it would certainly help us know where we could best spend our dollars. And, anyone is welcome, as I’d be happy with more people, more minds, because 2018 is going to be a big year for us.”

To learn more or want to lend a hand to help kids, Kidsport Ponoka can be found on Facebook (@kidsportponoka) or reached via email at ponoka@kidsport.ab.ca.