Outfitting children with sports equipment is expensive and out of reach for many parents but a local charity is working to provide gear for free so kids can get in on the game.
Comrie’s Sports Equipment Bank was started in Calgary in 2014 by the former owner of The Brick, Bill Comrie, and his family.
Its goal is to gather, recycle and redistribute sports equipment to kids who would otherwise be denied a chance to participate in sports.
“We have had some families almost begrudgingly coming in and see us lately and maybe they’ve never had to use our services before but now is the time where there is a little bit of extra need so we’ve been really busy lately and we’re hoping more families come and see us,” said Russ Gillespie, Comrie’s Sports Equipment Bank.
Alma Ladouceur’s son Elijah wanted to play hockey but the single mother was concerned about the cost of equipment and wasn’t sure she could afford it.
“The little man wanted to be a goaltender. We went to Sport Chek because I thought how expensive could it really be? We walked out and he was heartbroken because there was absolutely no way I could have done that,” she said.
Elijah is now geared up to play goal thanks to the free equipment program and he can’t wait to get out on the ice.
“What it lets me do is get up off the couch and do sports and have fun,” he said.
About 900 children have received gear from the bank this year and the charity hopes every child will get a chance to fulfill their athletic dream.
“We don’t want any kid to go without playing some kind of a sport just because of a financial barrier,” said Gillespie. “We’ve given out more equipment in the last four months than we did our entire first year.”
For more information about Comrie’s Sports Equipment Bank, Click HERE.
