KidSport Penticton invites community to ‘Give the Gift of Sport’ this holiday season

This holiday season you can support the youth of Penticton with the annual KidSport Give the Gift of Sport campaign.

Penticton’s branch of KidSport is calling for support to help provide kids with the opportunities to play sports.

Despite the optimism surrounding organized sports this January, there is still much to be determined about the immediate future, according to KidSport Penticton committee chairman Dave Lieskovsky.

“We at KidSport Penticton have been enthusiastically anticipating a return to sport in the new year,” he said. “However, what this return looks like is not at all clear. Some sports, such as hockey, have already returned and we are providing support, but we haven’t heard from a number of other local sport organizations. We will have to see how this all evolves over time.”

KidSport’s Give the Gift of Sport campaign is accepting donations until Jan. 4 and with over 30 per cent of Canadian youth under 18 years of age unable to afford organized sports participation, the organization is asking the entire country to help their own respective communities.

According to KidSport Canada, the organization has helped over 930,000 kids nationwide receive grants and sports introduction programming since 1993. But today, it’s the Penticton branch asking the public to step up for the community in a big way.

KidSport Penticton made its message clear this week — kids are trying to re-connect with sports so that they can benefit from what it provides. The organization cited teamwork, fitness and socialization as some of the benefits kids in the community may be missing out on.

“This is due to not only the pent-up need for the kids to participate but also the fact that so many families have been negatively impacted by COVID-19 and are struggling,” Lieskovsky added.

People interested in giving the gift of sport to a child in Penticton this holiday season are asked to visit kidsportcanada.ca/british-columbia/penticton.

READ MORE: Penticton families need help getting kids into the game