The Canadian Tire Jumpstart Charity has allocated $8 million in funding through a new Sport Relief Fund to help local sports organizations across the country with expenses during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Canadian Tire's AVP of Programs and Operations for Jumpstart Charities, Marco Di Buono, said the money is aimed at helping local sports organizations ensure kids can still enjoy sports this year.
"So what we want to do is make sure that kids, particularly kids who are disenfranchised and underprivileged, have an opportunity to continue benefitting from the therapeutic value of sport and play, despite the economic challenges that COVID-19 has presented."
Di Buono said starting Saturday, September 12, organizations can apply for funding to help kids get back to the sports they love.
"We'll be making decisions on that funding and letting people know right after Thanksgiving. So this is tight on purpose so that we can get money into the community right away and get kids playing as quickly and safely as we can."
When kids lose the ability to enjoy sports, Di Buono says our society is poorer for it. To apply, simply visit jumpstart.canadiantire.ca and fill out a short questionnaire starting on Saturday, September 12. That date happens to mark the 15th anniversary of the Canadian Tire Jumpstart charity, which has helped over 2.3 million kids play sports to date.