EVENSTRENGTH Program provides financial aid
to give kids the opportunity to
play hockey By Jeremy Freeborn There is no question that enrolling your children into minor hockey in Calgary can be expensive. When you add up the costs of registration, travel and equipment, it is not surprising that many families are increasingly reluctant to encourage their children to participate in hockey. When you factor in the current problematic state of the Alberta economy, expensive extracurricular activities might be low on the list for many. However, there is one significant program in Calgary that the Calgary Flames Foundation, Hockey Calgary, KidSport Calgary and Canadian Pacific Railway Limited want to make the Calgary public more aware of. The aforementioned organizations are the current partners for the Calgary Flames EvenStrength Program. The goal of the program, which has been in existence since 1998, is to help alleviate the cost for families who are facing financial challenges, and are very interested in having their children participate in minor hockey. As of the 2016-17 Hockey Calgary season, the EvenStrength Program has distributed $2,061,404.00 to Calgary minor hockey players since 1998. Over the last three years, families were able to receive financial assistance up to $700, which is up from a maximum amount of $600 from the 2013-14 minor hockey season. The number of recipients of the EvenStrength Program rose from 328 to 368 in 2016-17. The amount of funding provided also increased from $222,342.50 to $248,264.00. Readers might be wondering who some of the players are who have participated in the EvenStrength Program in the past. Due to confidentiality rules, the names are not released to the public. “We don’t publicize the names,” says Hockey Calgary Executive Director Kevin Kobelka. The initiative to get as many Calgary children to play hockey as possible, regardless of their socioeconomic background or status, started almost two decades ago. “Hockey Calgary (at the time known as the Calgary Minor Hockey Association) and the Calgary Flames realized there were kids that did not have the opportunity to play,” says Kobelka. “We
10 | Calgary Hockey Magazine
partnered together with the Flames Foundation along with KidSport, to create a fund in order to get those kids in the game. These are kids who wouldn’t have a chance, and are now given an opportunity to play Canada’s national sport. They get the opportunity to get out there, have fun, learn and have the same opportunity of those who have the financial wherewithal.” Calgary Flames Foundation Executive Director Candice Goudie stresses the significance the program has from a Flames perspective. “The EvenStrength Program is super important. We have a lot of programs that we fund and this is right in the heart of what we do. This is about making sure that everyone can play hockey. We really want to make sure we are doing our part to provide access to the sport.” KidSport Calgary Executive Director Kevin Webster is also extremely pleased that their organization is part of such a positive initiative. “The partnership is amazing! To be able to team up with Hockey Calgary and the Calgary Flames Foundation with the same goal of making sure that the barrier of costs will not keep low income families from playing the great Canadian sport of hockey. Giving kids, who are participating in Hockey Calgary programs, access to the funds they need to get over any of the financial hurdles is exactly what KidSport is all about. Partnerships like this are something we try to build every day in making sport more accessible to kids in our community.” In 2013, Canadian Pacific Railway Limited joined KidSport Calgary, Hockey Calgary and the Calgary Flames Foundation. CP Media Relations Advisor Salem Woodrow says the program is extremely worthwhile. “Calgary is home to CP’s head office and approximately 2000 employees. Giving back to the communities where CP operates is a priority. Our partnership with KidSport Calgary and the Flames EvenStrength program allows more children to participate in sports and improves the overall heart health of Calgary kids—one of the tenets of our CP Has Heart community