For many youth, the opportunity to play on the same field as the professional athletes seems far-fetched, but for some lucky students this dream became a reality as they set foot onto the field at Tom Binnie Park this last Saturday, August 17 for a Flag Football Tournament supported by the BC Lions. As official event partners BC Lions Centre, Andrew Peirson from Kingston, Ontario was also on site to help guide and coach these young students.
“The BC Lions Football Club is proud to support the Kids Play Foundation in their efforts to help kids make positive choices and avoid the pitfalls of drugs, gangs and violence. The power of sport is transformative instilling qualities like leadership, teamwork and confidence. These are life skills that everyone can benefit from.” – Jamie Taras, BC Lions Football Club, Director of Community Partnerships
Kids Play Foundation was founded by Law Enforcement Officer Kal Dosanjh after seeing just how many youth engage in criminal and drug activity from an early age during his years as a beat cop on the eastside. Kids Play is a community organization that aims to keep B.C. kids away from the life of crime through its various sports programs and has served over 60,000 youth through their free programs and distributed over $65,000 in scholarships. Kids Play believes in building a better future for our youth, one game at a time.
“The goal of our programs is to build a long lasting relationship with youth starting at a young age so that a sense of community, safety and integrity become well entrenched values, “says Kal Dosanjh, Founder of Kids Play. “Developing these relationships early are critical to steering youth to make positive life choices. Sports, and this event in particular, is a fantastic way to build that bridge. Today’s event provides a sense of community, a great opportunity to build friendships, and the ability participate in a unique experience for children who may not otherwise get the chance.”
