If it costs more to put food on the table or a roof over your head, paying pricey fees to enrol in minor hockey or gymnastics can be dispensable.
But sport can play a role in helping kids grow up.
“We know participation in sport is good for a child’s physical health, but it can also have benefits for their mental health, and provides important opportunities for kids to build friendships, gain confidence and create positive community connections that help fuel their potential,” Rob Newman, CEO of SportBC said in a release.
Sport BC is the parent organization of KidSport BC, which helps pay sports registration fees for families that are being squeezed financially.
This year, KidSport is predicting a 25 percent increase in the number of sports fee applications approved, compared to last year.
Locally, KidSport Delta chair Carlene Lewall says that 2023 was a busy year as well with about 20 more applications than the previous highest year of 2019, when 202 kids were helped.
“We will have exceeded the … largest year that we’ve ever had in giving out funding,” Lewall said.
She estimates that $75,000 has been given out so far this year. That amount could grow next year, while the amount available for each child will increase to $700.
Families who need help paying minor sports registration fees, apply to a local chapter of KidSport, and if approved, KidSport pays the fees directly to sports organizations.
Lewall said that the feedback she’s received from families is the state of the economy is behind the increase in applications in Delta.
“The notes I get, the thanks yous we get … ‘it’s really tough and we really appreciate this,’ ” she said.
KidSport Delta tries to raise about $100,000 annually to help kids play a variety of sports.
People can help out by joining in the Give the Gift of Sport campaign, which wraps up Jan. 8.
A major fundraiser is set for April 27 when KidSport Delta holds a casino night at Tsawwassen Springs.
In 2022, KidSport chapters around B.C. paid out more than $1.7 million in sports fees for 5,377 kids.
