True Sport Foundation - “True Sport Foundation is committed to ensuring that sport makes a positive contribution to Canadian society, to our athletes and to the physical and moral development of Canada’s youth.”

True Sport Foundation is committed to ensuring that sport makes a positive contribution to Canadian society, to our athletes and to the physical and moral development of Canada’s youth.

2009 TSCF Phase One Recipients

The True Sport Foundation announced the initial group of 2009 grant recipients of the True Sport Community Fund. The Fund awarded seventeen (17) communities with $5,000 grants. An additional five (5) communities received grants of $25,000 each.

More than 225 applications were received before the May 31st deadline.

$25,000 Recipients

The True Sport Community Fund awarded $25,000 grants to the following communities:

Spirit of Burns Lake (Prince George, BC)	The Spirit of Burns Lake is committed to changing the landscape for low-income Aboriginal youth by providing positive sport opportunities. After a very successful project to promote girls hockey in the community, the group now plans to work to eliminate barriers for the young boys in the community. The funds will be used for a softball and hockey expansion program which will provide upgrades to both facilities and much needed equipment.
Ile a la Crosse Minor Sports and Recreation (Ile a la Crosse, SK)	Ile a la Crosse Minor Sports is leading a new innovative swimming program in partnership with eight northern Saskatchewan communities. Due to a lack of resources, none of the eight communities currently have a swimming facility and parents are increasingly having a difficult time finding affordable sport programs for the youth of these communities. This program will leave a lasting, long-term legacy in these communities by providing each community with training for local lifeguards, instructors and the opportunity for two local community members to receive a full NCCP coaching certification. Floating docks will also be purchased for each community, and instruction and competitions will be held in the lakes of each community.
Tri-co Recreation Centre (Fredericton Junction, NB)	The Tri-Co Recreation Centre will use the funds to implement a program called ICHP (Innovative Community Hockey Indoor Program). There are currently many youth in the community who are left out of organized hockey programs, due to the high cost of participation. The TSCF will be used as start-up funds to provide equipment and ice time and coaching.
Boys and Girls Club of St. John’s (St. John’s, NL)	The Boys and Girls Club of St. Johns, in partnership with the City of St. John’s and the Association of New Canadians have developed an outreach and support program for immigrant families and youth. The club will develop, promote and execute an after-school program which will focus on different cultures and cultural sports from around the world.
Yukon Aboriginal Sport Circle (Whitehorse, YK)	This project will allow for the development of a Traditional Sports Curriculum (Inuit and Dene Games) that will be introduced into all Yukon schools in partnership with the Department of Yukon Education. It is recognized that sport assists with the development of positive social and community development, and traditional games create a strong bond between students who participate and the community at large. This project will also reduce barriers to participation by providing schools with the necessary equipment for each community.

$5,000 Recipients

The True Sport Community Fund awarded $5,000 grants to the following communities:

Go Rowing and Paddling Association of Canada (Victoria, BC)	The Dynamic Opportunities for Youth program is a national rowing program offered to participants at low cost and is designed to share the sport of rowing with low- income, at-risk youth. The program takes a proactive stance against potential challenges facing youth by making the rewards of physical activity accessible to those who will benefit most. The TSCF will allow for 30 youth from Victoria to participate in this rowing program.
Kamloops Long Blades Speed Skating Club (Kamloops, BC)	This program will allow the Kamloops Long Blades Speed Skating Club to partner with local schools and offer speed skating lessons free of charge as part of school programming at various rinks across the city. The club will work with local low-income and aboriginal schools and offer on-ice instruction and free use of equipment three to five times a year. The TSCF will support the cost of the equipment, which is anticipated to last for five seasons.
Canora Jr. Elementary School (Canora, SK)	With the goal of developing positive life skills through sport, the Canora Jr. Elementary School plans to expand a National Archery in the Schools Program. The TSCF will provide funding for all the necessary archery equipment for the program, as well as allow for travel between neighbouring communities to attend tournaments, which for many youth will be the first time they have left their hometown.
Wild Rose School (Shellbrook, SK)	This school is a remote community with no organized sport opportunities. Many families cannot afford to travel into the nearest centre for sport and recreation opportunities. The TSCF will provide support for the development of a ‘sport for all’ soccer program at the school which will involve a partnership with the SaskSoccer Association. The school will organize several day camps at the school where qualified soccer instructors would take over the physical education periods for the entire day. Community parents will also receive training to ensure a long-term soccer legacy within the community.
Mount Royal Collegiate Wrestling Team (Saskatoon, SK)	Mount Royal Collegiate is a diverse school with a rich tradition in the sport of wrestling. The school plans to use the funds toward the purchase of a new wrestling mat which is integral to the culture of this school. The mat will also allow the school to expand its current programming with local elementary schools and disadvantaged youth in Saskatoon.
Balmoral Recreation Centre (Stonewall, MB)	The Balmoral Recreation Centre is located in the rural village of Stonewall, MB and is the social centre of the community. In order to encourage more youth to become active in sport, the centre proposes to run a series of learn-to-curl clinics and a mini bonspiel. By partnering with local schools, the community will ensure that all the children in the community have access to this curling program which will take place once a week right after school. The TSCF will provide start-up funding for this initiative.
Grunthal and District Recreation Association (Grunthal, MB)	Providing safe and accessible sport and recreation opportunities is very important in this community, as there are a large percentage of low-income and new Canadian families. The current soccer field is located on school grounds, is unsafe and has many holes, making it impossible to play on a regular size field. Recently the community has designated 12 acres as recreation grounds, including a newly planned soccer field. The TSCF will support this initiative.
3T Program (Scarborough, ON)	The 3T program provides a variety of programs, services and support to newcomer and marginalized youth from the Morningside Heights neighbourhood. This region has seen an emerging trend of gangs and youth violence coupled with a lack of affordable services. Funds will be used to purchase equipment for several local recreation facilities who work together to promote sport programming and diminish the effects of social exclusion for newcomer youth.
Somali Sports and Cultural Association (Toronto, ON)	Somali Sports and Cultural Association (SOSCA) aims to develop, foster and advance Somali Canadian sport activities and facilitate the integration of Somali youth into Canadian society. The goal of this project is to introduce low-income African-Canadian youth to winter sports. The TSCF will provide support for this program and allow for 130 youth to participate in 25 recreational skiing and skating trips and instruction.
Nipissing First Nation (Garden Village, ON)	The Nipissing First Nation is a small community with a severe lack of sport and recreation opportunities. The TSCF will provide support for a community-wide basketball project. This project will allow the community to install nets, provide accessible equipment to the youth of the community at any time of the day, as well as host a basketball camp focusing on leadership development.
UPEI Soccer (Charlottetown, PEI)	UPEI Soccer operates within the University of PEI Athletic Department and offers many camps and leagues across the island. Over the past several years many programs have been developed to address the needs of new Canadian, refugee, and low-income members of the community. The TSCF will provide support for the development of an inner-city soccer camp for low-income youth. The program will partner with local schools to identify the participants, and with the city, who will supply the facility free of charge.
Greater Geary Association (French Lake, NB)	The Greater Geary Association has recently launched a community-wide recreation program based on direct feedback gathered from residents. The goal of the project is to engage the youth of the community and promote health and leadership development. The funds will be used to redevelop the sport field, purchase equipment and train local coaches.
Cape Breton Regional Minor Football Association (Sydney, NS)	The Cape Breton Regional Minor Football Association offers affordable and accessible programming to all children in the community. The TSCF will support the expansion of this program into the Membertou First Nation Community by providing funds for equipment and to upgrade the local facility.
Lawrencetown Consolidated School Basketball (Bridgetown, NS)	This school plans to initiate an after-school basketball program as there are currently no other community basketball programs in Lawrencetown available at no cost. The program will be based on skill development and fun, and will partner with local high school teams who will volunteer and mentor younger students in the program. The TSCF will provide start-up funding for this program.
Lawrencetown Consolidated School (Lawrencetown, NS)	The Lawrencetown Consolidated school is located in a small rural community with approximately 180 students, many of which are from low-income families. The TSCF will provide funding to support the schools ‘learn to play’ project. This project will provide quality instruction during physical education classes, after-school team sport opportunities, and the creation of a ‘sports library’ which will allow parents to borrow sport equipment throughout the year.
Royal Canadian Mounted Police (Beaver Creek, YK)	Beaver Creek is a northern community of approximately 100 people. The local RCMP detachment currently partners with the local school to offer several sporting activities for local youth. To date, the community has not been able to take advantage of the many cross country ski trails in the area as they have not had access to a track-setting machine. The school has recently acquired new cross country ski equipment, therefore, with the purchase of a track-setting machine it will allow the youth of this community to participate in the sport of cross country skiing.
Yukon Badminton Association (Watson Lake, YK)	The Yukon Badminton Association plans to develop and offer a badminton camp for low-income aboriginal youth. The camp will focus on court training, yearly planning, goal setting, mental training and match play. The camp will also address issues such as substance abuse, and incorporate a mentorship component for the youth in attendance.