Figure skater Elladj Baldé performs in Calgary to kickstart nationwide outdoor rink rehabilitation initiative
A world-famous Canadian figure skater is gliding his way into the hearts of communities in need and his first stop is in Calgary.
Elladj Baldé is a name synonymous with backflips, mountain backdrops and incredible viral videos.
On Friday afternoon, he’s launching an initiative to build and rehabilitate outdoor ice rinks across the country, with his first fundraiser to upgrade the outdoor rink in the northeast Calgary community of Temple.
"It's really important because accessibility is one of the issues and one of the reasons why we haven't seen diversity in the sport of figure skating," Baldé said.
"Being able to have rinks that are functional and operational in some of those communities will just make accessibility that much easier for the kids that are in the area."
The by-donation event is a partnership with EllisDon called Ice Rinks for Inclusion and runs from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. at 176 Templegreen Road N.E.
Baldé will be performing there alongside World Champion figure skater Kaetlyn Osmond and national competitor Emma Bulawka.
Calgarians attending are required to provide proof of vaccination to join in for an open skate and listen to live musical performances.Baldé is also launching the Skate Global Foundation (SGF) on Friday alongside his wife and co-founder Michelle Dawley.
The foundation is an impact driven not-for-profit organization built on the pillars of equity, diversity, and inclusion, along with mental health and climate change.
"We've been talking about this for a long time in finding ways to give back to the community and for me," Baldé said.
"It's been a passion for a long time to be able to continue our progress in Equity Diversity Inclusion."
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