A Burnaby charity that runs programs for kids traditionally excluded from organized sports needs $3,500 to make it to the end of the school year.
Burnaby MoreSports – launched by Burnaby Neighbourhood House, parks and rec and the school district about 10 years ago – offers hockey, basketball and soccer programs to kids in grades 2 to 5 at four local elementary schools.
It’s aimed at boosting sports participation among girls, new immigrants and kids from low income families who might not be able to afford the fees charged by athletic clubs.
“It’s a valuable community program that meets the needs of children who are often left out of traditional organized sports, and it would be a shame to see it fail,” Neighbourhood House program director Kimberly Barwich said.
The organization was granted charitable status just this month, which will open up funding opportunities in the future, Barwich said, but some of the group’s regular funders didn’t donate to the program this year.
“The funding climate is difficult,” she said. “I would say that in the last 10 years it’s become much more difficult to fund all non-profits.”
To try to keep the program running till the end of the school year, MoreSports has launched a gofundme crowd-funding campaign to fill the gap.
The money raised will help pay for the rest of the current soccer season, including a year-end soccer festival, healthy snacks, team T-shirts, and the salaries of a program coordinator and a part-time staffer at each school site.
For more information about MoreSports, visit burnabymoresports.ca. To donate to the program, go to www.gofundme.com/helpBMS.
