Inner-City Junior Wesmen players receive new uniforms at Sport Chek. Lenda Ayalew and Grace Fanhbulleh, with Jennifer Harbour, coordinator of The Forzani Group Ltd. community giving program – April 28, 2010. Photo by Kelly Morton
WINNIPEG, MB – Twenty-five teenage girls from Winnipeg’s inner-city are hitting the basketball circuit in style this week, thanks to the generous donation by Sport Chek Polo Park, which supports the Power of Sport for Kids program run by its parent company The Forzani Group Ltd.
The girls, many of whom are new Canadians aged 13 to 16, play basketball for The University of Winnipeg’s Inner City Junior Wesmen team, led by volunteer coach Bob Axworthy. The Sport Chek donation means they now have coordinated uniforms, jerseys, jackets, duffle bags, basketball shoes and basketballs.
“Through the Power of Sport for Kids program, Sport Chek store employees are empowered to give back to the communities they live and work in by providing brand new sporting equipment to organizations who offer recreational programming for children in need,” says Jennifer Harbour, coordinator of The Forzani Group Ltd. community giving program. “The employees at the Polo Park Sport Chek location are thrilled about the opportunity they have to give to the Junior Wesmen girls basketball team and we wish them luck in their current season!”
”This donation instills a sense of pride in the players,” said program Coordinator Bob Axworthy. “I know they will wear their uniforms proudly at our events and in the community. We are very grateful for this donation by the Power of Sport for Kids program.”
The girls received their outfits today at an event organized specifically for them followed by a pizza lunch at the Sport Chek store in Polo Park Shopping Centre. The team will now head to the provincial club championships April 29 and 30. The Junior Wesmen will also be traveling to Saskatoon May 7and 8. Travel is supported by the “Inner City Heart of the City Three-on-Three Tournament” set for June 26 and 27.
People who would like to support the basketball team can do so simply by using the Junior Wesmen’s toolbar to surf the internet. Each click provides funds for the program. The toolbar will be activated the first week of May 2010. For more information, see the Junior Wesmen section of the Wesmen Athletics website.
The Forzani Group Ltd. Community Giving program – Power of Sport for Kids
Sport Chek stores support the efforts of the Power of Sport for Kids program. The Power of Sport for Kids program, established and facilitated by The Forzani Group Ltd. endeavors to bring fun, sport and exercise to deserving children. We are passionate about sports and because of this passion we want to see every Canadian enjoy sports as much as we do. It’s hard for many of us to grasp the reality that almost 900,000 kids in Canada are living beneath the poverty line. The struggles they have to face on a daily basis are harder than many grown adults in our country will ever have to face; these children simply don’t have the resources to engage in play. Sport Chek stores across the country raise funds in store and the staff are empowered to give back to the communities they live and work in by providing brand new sporting equipment to organizations who offer recreational programming for children in need. We are striving as an organization to see that every kid regardless of their circumstances has a chance to play, because every kid deserves to feel the Power of Sport!
MEDIA CONTACT
Diane Poulin, Communications Officer, The University of Winnipeg
P: 204.988.7135, E: d.poulin@uwinnipeg.ca
