LAYOFFS IMPACT YOUTH SPORTS
More families seeking financial help so children can compete
Plummeting oil prices and relentless job losses are pushing up demand for financial assistance among families whose kids are involved in organized sports.
KidSport Calgary has already seen a 35 per cent increase in applications for financial help this year, receiving 2,200 applications so far with an expectation to reach up to 4,000 by year’s end. Last year, the organization received 3,400 applications.
“I’ve never seen it this busy. Right across the board, in all of our sports, we’ve seen a very large increase in applications,” said Lisa Parham, manager of Sport Partnership with KidSport Calgary.
“And within the applications, we’ve seen a lot of termination letters, where one parent has lost a job and now there’s only one income. And quite often it’s a termination letter from the energy industry involving a parent who’s had the larger salary,” she added.
“It’s been a huge problem in the city. A lot of families just can’t afford it.”
Layoffs across the province so far this year have surpassed 11,000 workers, according to employer data from the Jobs, Skills, Training and Labour Ministry.
Of those, almost 75 per cent were related to the energy sector. And economists are predicting more job losses in the second half of this year with fears that oil prices will remain low for another six to 12 months.
Benchmark West Texas Intermediate oil has hovered below $ 50 US a barrel in recent weeks.
KidSport Calgary is providing up to $ 400 in financial assistance to help parents pay registration fees in a variety of sports including swimming, gymnastics, soccer, basketball, baseball and figure skating.
But Parham admits hockey is always the sport with the most applications, and its steep registration fees can range from $ 400 for Timbits to more than $ 3,600 for elite- level Midget AAA.
She encourages families to seek out financial help, because keeping kids active is critical.
“We always hear back from families about all of the benefits they see in their kids. They pay more attention at school, they learn how to get along better with kids. They learn great life skills, and they’re also being physically active, of course.”
Russell Gillespie, general manager at the Comrie’s Sports Equipment Bank, said he’s also seen a big uptake for free sports gear.
“We’ve already seen an increase in demand, we’ve been really busy in the past month,” he said. “But we want to keep seeing that, we want to send the word out and tell parents we’re here for them.”
Gillespie said families need to be reminded to seek help because it’s so important to keep kids playing.
“It brings communities together, it keeps families close. And in this world of smartphones, rising obesity and short attention spans, it’s more important then ever for kids to play sports.”
The equipment bank will mark its first anniversary Aug. 21. It provided up to 12,000 pieces of equipment to more than 300 kids over the past year.
Gillespie explained that qualifying for free gear is as easy as filling out a referral form with the name of a contact in your community or hockey association, confirming
You don’t need to be completely crippled financially to qualify for help. And you shouldn’t feel bad if you need help just this year because of the hard times.
that you need some sort of financial help.
“You don’t need to be completely crippled financially to qualify for help,” he said.
“And you shouldn’t feel bad if you need help just this year because of the hard times.”
Gillespie added that the equipment bank is overflowing with gear at its southeast location, 3557 52nd Street S. E., and the agency is welcoming families to drop by and grab some.
For more information, or to make an appointment to pick out equipment, go to comriessportsequipmentbank.org.