The Olds Boys and Girls Club is hoping an upcoming fundraising race will allow the club to open its afterschool youth programming to all local young people for little or no cost.
The Olds Boys and Girls Club is hoping an upcoming fundraising race will allow the club to open its afterschool youth programming to all local young people for little or no cost.
The Capital One Race for Kids is scheduled for May 31 with events taking place in communities across Canada.
If the Olds race can bring in enough cash for the local club, that money could fully or partially subsidize programming offered at the club between 3:30 and 5 p.m. for young people aged 12 to 14.
Currently, if the club is offering an afterschool program such as pizza nights or arts and crafts activities, it has to make sure a certain number of spaces in the program are filled with payment received for those spaces to cover the costs of staffing and resources including snacks, guest speakers and field trips.
There are times when programs are cancelled due to a lack of young people signing up because they don’t have the money to pay for the program.
"But if we know that we can secure, especially the staffing dollars to be able to provide that program, then it runs regardless of having five versus 20 youth," said Raelyn Notley, the chair of the club’s board. "And so if those are the five that need it the most, but we can’t offer it because we don’t meet our bottom line, we can’t run the program.
"So we need to find something that’s sustainable beyond just parent fees and that’s where the community has the opportunity to give back."
Notley said the club calls this "barrier-free" programming and added the race is the perfect way to give all young people the chance to participate in the club’s afterschool activities.
"This fundraising opportunity is a great opportunity to be able to do something fun where adults get to play but the kids win because of that."
Mindy Grover, the club’s executive director, said the club does charge for programs before and after school meant for children ranging from pre-kindergarten ages to 12 years old but those programs are government licensed and so parents can access subsidies.
There are no subsidies, however, for programming for children over the age of 12, she added, and since some parents feel children over the age of 10 can stay home by themselves after school, they may not want to provide money for youth activities at the club.
Notley said the afterschool time period between 3:30 and 5 p.m. is when young people are "most vulnerable," so the club wants to give them a safe space with something fun to do that is subsidized through this fundraising venture.
"That’s our main idea, that we could fund it and have the staffing and program supply costs and stuff funded, then ultimately it would just basically be like a drop in," Grover said.
The race begins at 10 a.m. at the Olds Legion on Highway 27 and includes 10 physical and mental challenges for participants spread throughout the community.
But Notley said people of all fitness levels can take part.
"It could be brain-busting activities, it could be a minute to win it," she said. "A relay of some kind. It’s just meant to be more fun than it is to be a fitness challenge."
A YouTube video found at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mreKGYEFc2g showcasing some examples of the kinds of activities the race includes shows a man racing around a gymnasium wearing swimming flippers and a woman trying to throw rings over a microphone.
Notley said the club is hoping at least 15 teams of four will register and the registration cost is $10.
Each team must raise a minimum of $360 in donations and pledges to participate with all money going to the local Boys and Girls Club.
"That money can be allotted to promote social and recreational opportunities for youth that need it but don’t necessarily have the funds to sign up for it," Notley said.
Along with prizes for the first, second and third place finishes, participants who raise the most money in their community will win a round trip for two to wherever WestJet flies, Grover said.
For more information about the race, visit www.raceforkids.ca.
The Olds Boys and Girls Club opened five years ago and its membership includes roughly 150 young people.
Notley said the club reaches 1,000 young people in the community beyond the membership through outreach activities.
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