Meet Team KidSport P.E.I.
Nancy Russell | CBC News | Posted: June 30, 2016 9:00 PM | Last Updated: June 30, 2016
'We're so thrilled with who put their hand up and said yes'
Seven Island athletes have stepped up to the plate for the first-ever KidSport P.E.I. Ambassador Team.
KidSport provides financial support to children who would not otherwise be able to participate in sport.
'I believe in the power of sport whole-heartedly and so does KidSport'
—Mark Arendz, Paralympian
"What we hope is that these ambassadors will bring to the forefront the need to raise those dollars and get those kids involved," said Sport P.E.I. executive director Gemma Koughan.
Golfer Lorie Kane has been involved with the Island chapter of the charity for years. She is now joined by Olympic sprinter Jared Connaughton, Paralympian Mark Arendz, curler Brett Gallant, world silver medal rower Emily Cameron, Mozzi Gyorio of the Ottawa Fury soccer team and Kameron Kielly, who plays for the Charlottetown Islanders in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League.
"We're so thrilled with who put their hand up and said yes," said Koughan.
'A natural fit'
"Having our great Island athletes that have done so well representing our province and having them represent what we hope everyone can enjoy from sport," continued Koughan. "Not all kids have that experience because of financial issues."
"I believe in the power of sport whole-heartedly and so does KidSport so I think it was a very natural fit to become an ambassador," said Mark Arendz, who is on P.E.I. for a short break before heading to the biathlon training facility in Canmore Alberta to start training for the upcoming World Cup season.
"The skills and the confidence that kids gain from organized sports as they grow up, it can't be replaced," added Arendz.
More than 7 thousand Island kids
In 2015, KidSport PEI gave out over $150,000 in grants to 640 youth. The grants cover both the purchase of sporting equipment and registration fees. Since 1997, the organization has distributed more than $1.3 million to 7,100 Island kids.
The grants are available to a maxiumum of $300, which can be used for any of the 40 provincial sport organizations that belong to Sport P.E.I.
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