$500,000 of donated sports equipment arrives in Fort McMurray

Sport Central and United Cycle deliver over $500,000 of sports equipment to Fort McMurray and the community of Wood Buffalo for players & families affected by the wildfires in Northern Alberta.

Making good on a promise to assist children and families affected by the tragic fires in northern Alberta, Sport Central and United Cycle are delivering sports equipment collected from industry and donors since last May, to Fort McMurray and the Wood Buffalo region.

A semi-trailer load of equipment will be delivered free-of-charge by Rosenau Transport on Wednesday, September 7th to representatives from Fort McMurray Minor Hockey, Fort McMurray Minor Baseball and Fort McMurray Minor Football who will be on hand to receive the equipment and prepare it for distribution. Media are invited to attend at 12 noon – location - 925 Memorial Drive, Hedco Business Park. Space generously donated by John Wilson.

Along with a multitude of individual donations of money and equipment coming in from across Canada, companies such as CCM and 14 other sporting goods industry leaders, have stepped up to donate a variety new equipment.

Sport Central, is a registered charity, whose sole mission is to provide equipment to kids in need (ages 3-17) across Edmonton and throughout Northern Alberta. “We started outfitting the children of displaced families a day after the evacuation and haven’t stopped,” says Sheldon Oleksyn, Executive Director of Sport Central.“We have been working closely with our Founding Partner, United Cycle, on a number of initiatives enabling children from the North to keep playing the sports they love.“

One of the initial goals of the Sport Equipment Drive was to create a legacy of a Fort McMurray Sport Equipment Distribution Centre, ensuring continued support in this region for many years to come. The need does not end with the return of residents to their homes, businesses and lives. This gift of equipment, starts a process of collecting, recycling and reusing sports equipment for families in need across their community for years and years to come.

United Cycle and Sport Central are still accepting cash and equipment donations in support of the families affected by the Fort McMurray wildfires.

Families interested in equipment for hockey and baseball can contact the following organizations:

Fort McMurray Minor Hockey – president@fmmha.com

Fort McMurray Minor Baseball – president@fmmba.ca