An organization aimed at keeping youth active was the recipient of the 100 Men Who Give a Damn’s first donation.
KidSport Okotoks was presented with $4,600 from the group on July 24 after the Men's first meeting earlier this month. Co-founder of the 100 Men, Mike Boake, said it was a pretty good turnout for their first session, even though they had to take it virtual with Zoom and Facebook.
About 28 members tuned in of the 53, and 46 were able to make their $100 donation.
“It went pretty well considering we’re dealing with COVID,” said Boake, adding a few people have dropped out of the group due to difficulties from the pandemic.
A $4,600 donation was music to the ears of KidSport Okotoks president Hannah Edlund.
“It does go a long way,” she said.
KidSport provides $200 per child, per calendar year to cover the cost of sports activities. In other years the organization gives $400 per child, but changed that amount to help families in 2020.
“With COVID we expect a rise in numbers in September so we’ve bumped it down to $200 and hopefully can bring it back up to $400 in the new year, but we want to make sure we’re careful with our funds,” said Edlund.
It’s a tough year for the group, which usually runs two of its major fundraisers during the summer months – a slowpitch tournament at Okotoks On Deck in July and an annual golf tournament in August.
KidSport aims to fundraise about $40,000 to $50,000 per year, she said. In 2019 it helped 180 young athletes play organized sports.
She said it’s important for youth in the community to get back into sports and the organization is there to help those who might find it a little tougher to manage this year.
As someone who grew up playing sports herself, she knows the value of belonging to a team and the life experience gained.
“You develop relationships and friendships, and develop skills you might not otherwise,” said Edlund. “You build a lot of resilience through sport as well, and you’re learning how to be active for the rest of your life, which is important.”
Boake said 100 Men was pleased to help out KidSport, and he hopes to give back even more with the next go-round. His goal is to increase membership to the full complement of 100 by the end of the year.
His wife, Julie Boake, runs the 100 Women Who Care Foothills, which has a membership of more than 80.
“It’s a bit of a competition in our house to get our membership up, but it’s a good competition because if we both hit 100 members that’s $80,000 a year that goes back into the Foothills,” said Boake.
Co-founder RJ Sigurdson said it’s more important now than ever to support local charitable groups, which will have a difficult time fundraising in 2020 and 2021.
“We need to stand together and help the community because everybody understands how difficult it’s going to be, now more than ever, to fundraise,” he said. “Fundraising is generally a very social thing, and these charities are going to struggle with COVID-19 until it’s passed.”
The next meeting for 100 Men Who Give a Damn is Sept. 16, and the organizers hope to meet in-person but will continue to offer livestreaming options for those who are unable to attend.
For more information visit www.okotoks100.com.
Krista Conrad, OkotoksToday.ca
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