The story is hard to read so here it is:
Student does his part
to help others in need:
LAURA BOUDREAU
For the Whig-Standard
There are hundreds of children
in Kingston who wish to
play soccer, but their families
simply can’t afford the fees and
equipment.
However, there are number of
opportunities for support out
their, and one of them is Kicks 4
Kids.
Positive Recreational Opportunities
for Kids is the city-run
charity that helps provide access
to sports for children and youth
who would not ordinarily be able
to afford the cost of participation.
The Challenge program at
Loughborough Public School in
Sydenham has a class assignment
called Challenge for
Change. The students have to
find something that they are interested
in and then try to raise
awareness on the subject
whether that means raising
money or objects for a cause.
The school has been helping
the community for as long as the
program has been running, trying
to raise awareness and the
importance of caring for others.
Zach Lollar is a Grade 7 Challenge
student and has a big interest
in sports, soccer in particular,
and thought it would be a
good idea to collect used cleats
and shin pads. He then found
out about the Kicks 4 Kids initiative
and knew he had found his
avenue. By the time the project
was completed, he had collected
16 pairs of cleats and seven pairs
of shin pads.
“I heard about … Kicks for
Kids and I thought I would like to
really help because I know being
active when you’re a kid can be
important and really change a lot
for you,” Lollar said.
“I thought it would be a great
opportunity to help kids be active
and raise awareness that you
can recycle and reuse your old
stuff that you don’t use anymore.”
Lynda Breen, the supervisor of
recreation programs for the City
of Kingston, says that all of the
youth who take part in the PRO
Kids charity are happy when
people in the community help
out others, especially when it is
youth helping youth.
“The more shin guards and
cleats we can collect, the more
we will be able to offer to help
give more kids the opportunity
to play soccer. This is why it is
nice to see youth helping youth
and it is great to see Zach going
out to help other young people,”
Breen said.
Zach also got praise from his
school.
“Zach’s project is important
because we all know that active
participation is part of a healthy
lifestyle. The collection of used
athletic equipment can make
sure that more students have access
to the gear they need,” said
Helen Peterson, principal at
Loughborough.
Kicks 4 Kids collects equipment
from April to June, and accepts
donations so that children
can play soccer and receive the
financial support and supplies
needed to participate.
“As a result of their projects,
the entire school community is
educated about these issues and
what we can do to help bring
about positive change,” Peterson
added.
Many businesses are collecting
cleats and shin guards for the
program including Canadian
Tire and almost any recreational
centre in Kingston.
Not everyone is aware of the
issue, and with so many children
wanting to play sports donations
are key to give all kids the summer
recreation they deserve.
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