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TOTAL SPORTS DURHAM
LADY BLUE KNIGHTS Receive Jump Start Relief Grant
Submitted by Barb Boyes - Lady Blue Knights
With the current climate and the challenges COVID has created, keeping kids engaged in activity is paramount to their overall mental health, physical and social development. Lady Blue Knights Field Lacrosse Association recognize the importance of making sport in our community available for youth, and we have the opportunity to positively impact the health and wellbeing of kids and their families. The Canadian Tire Jump Start Relief Grant helps community sport organizations like ours continue to provide access to sport and play for Canadian kids. We are so excited to have received a Jump Start Relief Grant from Canadian Tire. The grant will go a long way towards helping us during this challenging time continue to offer an environment to inspire, develop confidence and empower young girls and young women through the sport of lacrosse while providing opportunities for them to play and develop a passion for game. Kids are used to being active and need a return to some sense of normalcy. The Jump Start Relief Grant has allowed us to get girls and young women safely back on the field through our newly designed Fall Program, while at the same time relieving us from the worry of the financial impact that hit us this past summer. We are able to offer a program that has health and safety protocols in place, and has parents and players feeling safe. We have more girls participating in our Fall program than ever before. Our Fall program - U19 Fall Training Academy, the ASAD Jr. Academy for U13 and U15’s, and ‘The Battle of the Knights Cup’ 3 v 3 league for U11, U13, U15 and U19 - is running very successfully and is extremely popular with the players and parents. We have a number of our U19 girls in a mentorship role, as volunteer coaches/role models, for the U11 and U13 age divisions, as well as playing in their own age group. The real impact of the grant is evident as we see the kids come to the field each week with energy and excitement in anticipation of seeing their friends and playing lacrosse. They are active and engaged! There is no doubt it is having a positive impact on their mental health, developing their confidence, and allowing them to reconnect and grow relationships with friends. And we are seeing significant physical and skill development. We are grateful for the Jump Start Relief Fund grant as it has allowed us to meet our Mission/Mandate - Creating an environment to inspire, develop confidence and empower young girls through the sport of lacrosse while providing opportunities for them to play and develop a passion for game. Some of our young female athletes play to learn a new game, some play to make new friends, some play for fun & recreation, some play because they love to compete, and some play to challenge themselves and compete at a higher level. All are of equal importance. #SportReliefFund @CTJumpstart
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