Big Brothers Big Sisters of Leeds and Grenville and Their Opportunity partner to ensure equal access for sports and recreation opportunities for all youth in Leeds and Grenville!

Media Release – Brockville – We are excited to share with you a new partnership and innovative new programs and supports for children and youth in Leeds and Grenville created through this collaboration. This partnership, and the services it will provide, have been developed in response to our shared concern about the service gap created by the recent closure of the Making Play Possible program, previously run by Children’s Mental Health of Leeds and Grenville.

The Making Play Possible program, run through Children’s Mental Health, closed its doors this summer. This program supported over 300 children and youth every year for almost two decades by providing subsidies to cover fees and equipment for sports and recreation programs for financially vulnerable families. Through Making Play Possible, thousands of children who may not have otherwise had the opportunity were able to participate in activities like skating, art classes, soccer, dance and everything in between – making friendships, building skills, having fun and playing alongside their peers. This closure left a gap in local support and has meant that many children and youth are sitting on the sidelines this fall.

We are excited to announce that Their Opportunity and Big Brothers Big Sisters of Leeds and Grenville are working together to ensure local children and youth will once again have equal access to sports and recreation through the Paul Gill Memorial Fund. Through this collaboration, youth will be able to access a wide range of services designed to eliminate barriers to participation, including individualized support from a caseworker, financial support in the form of subsidies, and access to sports equipment, transportation, and life-changing mentoring relationships. “Uncle Paul, as most people knew him, would be so proud of this program and collaboration giving deserving children game-changing opportunities.” (quote from family)

About Their Opportunity Their Opportunity is a national grassroots children’s charity that delivers & subsidizes local sports for development & community engagement programming. Our programs & services help eliminate barriers to access & promote a lifestyle of giving back, empowering youth to reach their full potential.

Their Opportunity’s longest-standing program pillar is our subsidies program. It’s built to help remove the financial barrier to ensure children from all economic backgrounds have an equal opportunity to participate in grassroots sports and recreation. Their Opportunity is committed to providing these subsidies to children and youth in Leeds and Grenville.

For more information please visit: https://leeds.bigbrothersbigsisters.ca/what-we-do/our-programs/

For more information about Their Opportunity please visit: https://www.theiropportunity.com/