Archive

Big summer for Help the Kids Play

September 17, 2014   ·   0 Comments

It’s been a busy summer for a small group of community slo-pitch baseball players that are managing a program designed to insure the youth of Tottenham, and district, are afforded every opportunity to participate in extra-curricular activities. A fund raising slo-pitch tournament during Tottenham community week in July, coupled with an identity building golf tournament in August have helped these local volunteers insure that donations – private and corporate, continue to flow in and allow them to step in where needed and asked.
Launched in 2007 by Ed Hopkins through the Tottenham Old-timer’s Slo-Pitch League, “Help the Kids Play” had a simple vision of creating a small fund of resources that could assist families in the Tottenham area with limited resources to get their children into extra-curricular sports and other programs. Born of a casual conversation at the League’s Annual General Meeting, the seemingly simple objective was to give back to the community with a focus on youth social and physical development.
Current program Chairperson, Chris Ross, took over from Ed Hopkins in 2011 and was President of the TOT league when HTKP was launched in 2007. “Having been involved with HTKP from the beginning, I know where we have come from and where we are today and it’s truly a double edged sword. You really hope that no one in your community needs this type of support, but it’s been very rewarding for all of us involved to be able to be there when we’ve been needed” says Ross. He continues “the full support of all of the adult slo-pitch leagues and their players not only helped us get this thing off the ground, but have never wavered in their continued endorsement of the program through our annual tournament during Tottenham Community Week.”
HTKP is about to support its 200th case since inception – raising and distributing almost $70,000.00 in that time. “Unfortunately, there are a wide variety of circumstances that people in our community find themselves in where the HTKP program can help. We are not a solution to the bigger issue, but at least we can step in and limit the impact to the social and athletic development of the children in our community” adds Ross.
Corporate supporters of the program include The Michael Worrod Memorial Fund, The Cora Foundation (Cora restaurants), Tottenham Foodland, Tottenham Home Hardware and Cog-Veyor Systems Inc. For more information about Help the Kids Play, please contact Chris Ross at chris.ross1@sympatico.ca

Readers Comments (0)