A retired New Brunswick teacher is breaking down barriers to sport for low-income families and new Canadians who simply want their kids to have a place to play.
Krista Richard, a retired school teacher from Moncton, launched her Community Sports Program three years ago after seeing a need among lower-income families in the city.
“Sports is so expensive now, with the registration and tournaments and jackets, and so many kids are being left out,” said Richard, who now has more than 380 kids in various free sports programs that take place in gyms across the city.
With the help of volunteers and donations, Richard says she has been able to give families a place where their kids can play on organized teams in team shirts for no charge.
For some families, she said it has been a dream come true.
“Parents can come and cheer for their kids, which they have never been able to do before,” she said.
Yousel Al Tahhan, 12, whose family immigrated to Canada from Syria eight years ago, has been in the program since it began.
“She is making it fun and good for people who cannot afford it so they can come here and play for free,” he said.
Eileen Lewis’s granddaughter plays soccer in the program.
“It is just awesome. The kids are having a great time, the fans are having a great time,” Lewis said.
Richard believes this is every child’s rite of passage.
“The United Nations doesn’t say you have a right to play if you have money,” she said.
For newcomers to Canada, her program provides a chance for parents and kids to connect and feel more at home in the province.
“It is such a great way for them to become part of a community. Sports has no language,” Richard said.
Olajide Akinwande and his family moved to Dieppe, N.B., from the U.K. last year. He says the program provides an opportunity “for the kids, especially trying to mingle and know more friends and create a very understanding environment.”
Richard would like to see communities across Canada take a kick at the can and start similar programs. The rewards, she says, are life-changing.
“To have a mother come up to me after and say, ‘I have always wanted to be a soccer mom. I am a soccer mom now,’ with tears in her eyes.”
It feels like scoring the winning goal.
Comments