Canadian Jumpstart's Success

Every child has the right to be loved, to have hope for the future and the opportunity to realise their dreams. Going to school and belonging to something greater than themselves, contribute to this fundamental privilege. It is the truth that for many generations, children have been denied of these rights. The future of a child should not be determined on the wealthiness or poverty that one was raised in. A great example would be the greatest Brazilian footballer in history, Edson Arantes do Nascimento (Pelé), whose family was destitute when he was a young boy. Pelé could not go to school and could not get involved in sports because of their lack of money, but he played his sport of passion with his friends and a soccer ball made of old

rags and socks until he had found the opportunity to showcase his pure talent at a local free-entry futsal tournament. It is in true fortuity that he was recognized by Waldemar de Brito, a prestigious scout, who predicted that he would be one of the greatest footballers to ever play.

Without the opportunity in this free tournament, it is a possibility that the world would miss out on the talent of Pelé. Canadian Tire has invested in a foundation that advocates for these children. JumpStart is a Canada-wide charity that is committed to ensuring all Canadian children have the equal opportunity to achieve greatness through sports and healthy active living. JumpStart stands by the statement that organized sports connect children to their communities. Canadian Tire Corporation recognizes this and makes sure that the money raised remains in the same community where it is donated. Canadian Tire is Jumpstart’s biggest supporter as it funds all the general administrative expenses of Jumpstart, which means 100% of customer donations go directly to help kids in need. Within the charity's first nine years, they have managed to help one million children get involved in sports and physical activity. The charity has become the link between dreaming and doing for children who come from less fortunate families. The JumpStart foundation deserves this five million dollars because the charity is committed to lifting the spirits of children across the nation, supporting the dreams of Canadian children, and advocating for the present and future of children in our beloved

country.
By donating to the Canadian JumpStart charity, you will empower boys and girls across Canada by lifting the spirits of these children whose dreams of becoming athletes are being fulfilled. Through sport comes friendship and relationships that last a lifetime. There is no stronger bond than that of a team and that theme is one of the puzzle pieces to success for our organization. For example, “Canadian scientists found that sixth grade students, boys and girls, who were more physically active had considerably higher levels of self-esteem. This finding was corroborated by another Canadian team, who also highlighted the potentially harmful role that obesity plays in the equation” (Psychology Today). This study goes to prove that sport not only can enhance the competencies of a young athlete through their athletic skill, but also enhances their social skills such as self-esteem, confidence, friendliness, and good sportsmanship. Not only will your donation elate these children but you will also lift the spirits of their parents who have hope for their children's dreams being accomplished. Through sport, children are able to develop the tools to set high expectations and appreciate the differing values between effort and success (Spirit in Youth). Empowerment is an effort that should be taught to the youth of the world as it allows them to understand their value to others surrounding, and this sense of empowerment is strongly implemented through sport. A donation of five million dollars will allow there to be access to empowerment for thousands of children across Canada.
It is in our mission statement that our goal is to support the dreams of youth nationwide. When beginning the JumpStart foundation twelve years ago, Canadian Tire realized that sport is one of the most motivating aspects of Canadian life, and they wanted to establish the importance of this by offering the opportunity of sport to all children across Canada. Generous donations from Canadian Tire shoppers and many other sponsors allows JumpStart to award children with the gift of sport, entitling them to achieve their lifelong dreams. JumpStart also betters their lives by keeping kids active and leading a healthy lifestyle. As this generation grows older, they will appreciate the habit of being active to reduce sickness such as obesity and diabetes. Daley Thompson reports that, “The key lies in the similarities between sport and gangs; both present a sense of belonging, status and excitement” (Laureus). Supporting the dreams of children across Canada may just in turn become the need for family or the need for the feeling of belonging in ways that sports teams and clubs can provide this students. Sometimes it takes more than a will to play sports, but the will to play sports is dependant on whether your family can afford it or not. The five million dollar donation will ensure that low-income families across Canada will be able to use their food and drink budget on food and drink, and allow JumpStart charities to send their children to sports and other physical activities that may interest them sequentially setting them successful to fulfill their dreams and wishes.
A five million dollar donation to JumpStart charities would promote success and advocate for the present and future of children in our beloved country. A key to success is a prosperous childhood, and one’s childhood cannot be efficacious if they grew up making poor decisions, or taking up criminal actions. In our charity’s video, Jumpstart gets 1M Kids into Sports, Hezekiah Dhuman comments on sports by claiming, “It kept me off the streets from being bad and, it has been a good influence” (1M kids). Also in the video, Hezekiah's mother comments on her son’s relationship with sport and JumpStart charities in stating, “It has definitely made him stronger, and taught him how to believe in his dreams…” (1M kids). How does sport aid these children? According to New York Times, men with criminal records account for about 34 percent of all nonworking men ages 25 to 54. Majority of these men, were criminally involved in their communities as children because they were raised in slums or in just scraped by living off of low-income. Sports keep children focused on their active lifestyles and can distract them from these criminally associated activities. Not only does sport distract, it improves the basic life skills needed by all citizens of society. By allowing children to live a healthy and active life, we open doors for them through growing their social skills, and allowing them to improve amongst their sporting competencies. Evidence suggests that talented children are most likely to emerge when they are given time to develop, to play, and to remain children (Psychology Today). A five million dollar donation would endorse success for the future of all youth in Canada through sport, but the money will also develop the manner in which the future of our nation will approach things, in turn bringing greatness and innovation for generations and eras to come.
A donation of five million dollars would go a long way in the success to our future in building the character’s of youth who in the coming years will be leaders of our world.

It is imprinted in our mission statement that our core purpose is, “Raising funds. Lifting spirits. Supporting dreams”. Through donations, we have been able to give life to this statement and a great example would be through Bilan’s success story,

Bilan is 17 years old and has been coming to the Boys and Girls Club of Ottawa almost daily since she was six.

“I actually used to sneak in sometimes when I was only five years old,” she shyly admits. “But I loved it so much that I couldn’t stay away.”

The second-youngest of seven children raised by a single mom, Bilan has always enjoyed sports and has looked up to her athletic older siblings as role models. At the Boys and Girls Club, Bilan began playing soccer and basketball but found one activity that really captured her attention: swimming.

“When I was little, we used to have something called Swim Team at our Britannia Clubhouse,” Bilan says. “I loved it. We got to swim, try different moves and techniques and have fun in the

water.”
The Clubhouse pool closed for a few years, but when it was reopened, Bilan was able to literally jump right back in.
“Now instead of being a Swim Club member, I’m running the whole thing. I get to work with all sorts of different kids who are between the ages of about 7 and 15 years.”
In 2013, Bilan took her skills and experience and became a lifeguard. After school, on weekends and in the summer she works at the Boys and Girls Club of Ottawa pool and at the Club’s summer camp, Camp Smitty. As a lifeguard, she’s earning money by doing something she loves -- something she learned to do all those years ago at the Boys and Girls Club of Ottawa.
“I’m saving the money I earn to go to post-secondary school,” Bilan says. “I discovered from working here that I really like kids, so I want to do something with them for my future. I also realized I really like the medical aspect of being a lifeguard, so I want to put those together and become a nurse.”
Bilan knows how important Canadian Tire Jumpstart Get in the Game has been in her life and acknowledges this by saying, “I totally think people need the chance to be active, and here it’s awesome that the kids don’t have to focus on money to play sports or be active. The kids can do what they want without worrying about how they or their family are going to afford it, they can just be kids.”
This story is in success to JumpStart propagandists for the present and future for children in all communities across Canada. Through the points that have been given to you, our foundation has proven that we are most deserving of a donation as we, Canadian Tire JumpStart foundation, are committed to lifting the spirits of children across the nation, supporting the dreams of Canadian children, and advocating for the present and future of children in our beloved country.