Supporting Children's Sport Participation Through Canadian Tire Jumpstart Charities

BRAMPTON, ONTARIO--(Marketwired - March 19, 2015) - Department of Canadian Heritage

The Honourable Bal Gosal, Minister of State (Sport), today announced $1.3 million in support to Canadian Tire Jumpstart through Sport Canada's Sport Support Program. This funding will help more children across the country get involved in organized sport by removing some of the financial barriers that some Canadian parents experience.

Quick Facts

• Canadian Tire Jumpstart is a nationally registered charity that helps children in financial need, aged 4 to 18, participate in organized sports and physical activities, such as hockey, soccer and swimming. Jumpstart helps cover registration, equipment and/or transportation costs.
• Canadian Tire Corporation funds all of the general and administrative expenses for the charity-100 percent of this grant will go directly to helping kids get in the game.
• National in scope, Canadian Tire Jumpstart has 330 chapters in communities across the country. Jumpstart, which is celebrating its 10^th anniversary in 2015, has helped over 900,000 underprivileged children participate in 76 different sports and physical activities.
• The Government of Canada, through Sport Canada, has supported Canadian Tire Jumpstart since its launch in 2005 by providing close to $8.7 million in direct support, which has given an additional 87,000 kids the opportunity to participate in organized sports.
• In addition to support for programs like Canadian Tire Jumpstart, the Children's Fitness Tax Credit is another way the Government of Canada is working to get more kids involved in sport. In time for the 2014 tax season, the federal government has doubled the allowable limit to $1,000 to help parents offset the cost of enrolling their children in organized sport.

Quotes

"Canadian Tire Jumpstart gives children across Canada the opportunity to take part in sport and physical activity, and the Government of Canada is proud to support this program. With this funding, more children across Canada will have the opportunity to participate in sport, become more active, and share in the fun and relationships sport creates. I have seen the difference sport makes in the lives of young Canadians, and I commend Canadian Tire Jumpstart-particularly during the Year of Sport in Canada-for making sport more accessible and affordable for all."

-The Honourable Bal Gosal, Minister of State (Sport)

"Jumpstart is celebrating its 10^th anniversary in 2015, and later this year we will help our millionth kid get in the game. We've been able to reach this important milestone thanks to generous supporters, including Sport Canada. Sport plays such an important role in a child's development-self-esteem, leadership and teamwork-and we're proud to play a part in giving kids the opportunity to learn and grow through physical activity."

-Landon French, Executive Director, Canadian Tire Jumpstart Charities

Associated Links

Sport Canada

Canadian Tire Jumpstart Charities

About Canadian Tire Jumpstart Charities

Canadian Tire Jumpstart Charities is a national charity dedicated to providing kids from low-income families with the opportunity to experience the benefits of organized sports and physical activities. With an extensive, national network of more than 330 local chapters, Jumpstart helps kids in communities across Canada by assisting with the costs associated with registration, equipment and/or transportation.

Supported by the Canadian Tire Family of Companies, which includes Canadian Tire, PartSource, Gas+, Sport Chek, Atmosphere, National Sports, Sports Experts, Mark's and Canadian Tire Financial Services, Jumpstart has enabled more than 900,000 Canadian kids and counting to get in the game since 2005.

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