Jumpstart games rained out
Music started, sirens sounded and nearly 400 kids leapt to action Thursday morning for the Jumpstart Games — an event which was supposed to be a funfilled day of play and activities in Burgoyne Woods Park.
Unfortunately, the event was cancelled around noon due to thunder and lightning.
For a couple hours though, kids aged four to 12 got to run around the park and participate in a range of activities — including watergun fights, bocce ball and obstacle courses.
The goal was to have a great time and promote teamwork and physical activity.
Kids came from different groups and clubs around Niagara including the Boys and Girls Club of St. Catharines, Fort Erie and Niagara Falls, and wore different coloured shirts to identify their groups.
Gregory Craig, president and chief executive of Canadian Tire Financial Services and Canadian Tire Bank, along with Mayor Walter Sendzik, gave quick opening remarks to the kids before they started the games.
Craig thanked the 90 plus employees of CTFS, saying they’re the “secret sauce” that gets everything going.
This year was the fourth consecutive year of the CTFS games in St. Catharines, though they have been taking place for 13 years across Canada, sponsored by a variety of organizations.
According to a press-release, CTFS supports Canadian Tire Jumpstart Charities, a national organization that helps kids aged four to 18 participate in organized sports and physical activities, by helping cover the financial costs of registration, equipment and transportation, according to a press release for the event.
Last year, the charity gave more than $400,000 to help more than 7,200 kids in St. Catharines.
Since 2005, Jumpstart has given more than $1.8 million to the St. Catharines Jumpstart Chapter. A photo gallery is available on the
website.