Annual Report 2023

A note from our leadership

Here at Athletics4Kids, 2023 was a good year. A great year! And, for the more than 900 kids who got into sports with one of our Sport4Life grants, it was a year of play. 

Some kids participated in a sport for the first time. Others honed their skills and took on new challenges. And others mastered their craft, stepping onto the podium. 

No matter what the sport and the context, what we saw was the transformational power of sport at work and that's due in large part to people like you! Thank you to you — our members, volunteers and donors — for your invaluable contributions and commitment to getting kids off the bench and into the game.

As you dig into this annual report, I hope you'll see your spirit of compassion and generosity reflected there as it's only with the help of people like you that all of this is made possible.

With gratitude,

Val

Valerie Gosselin, Executive Director

    • Valerie Gosselin, Executive Director

    • Anna O'Shea, Program and Communications Coordinator

    • Scott Trotter, President

    • Ross Forman, Vice President

    • Craig Knapton, Past President

    • Ryan Brown, Past President

    • Mary McGivern, Secretary

    • Paul Harman, Treasurer

    • Kelly Aslanowicz

    • Wade Bartok

    • Christine Dawes

    • Matt Davis

    • Keith Calder

    • Annette Johanson

    • Ryan Russell

Our Executive Director, Val (middle), pictured with the team from Highwater Tackle at the District of North Vancouver Firefighters’ annual salmon fishing derby that raises generous funds for Athletics4Kids.

At Athletics4Kids, we believe that every child should have the chance to play.

All across BC, hundreds of children and youth are denied the opportunity to participate in amateur sports due to one simple fact: lack of funds. Through our Sport4Life Grant Program, we provide financial grants to families to cover 100% of their sport registration fees. The average grant we provide is $200 per sport.


Over the past 21 years, we have provided $2.7 million in grants to fund over 13,000 Sport4Life Grants, ensuring kids between the ages of 5-18 are able to play and participate in sports. Whether that's swimming lessons at the rec center, community lacrosse, or joining a gymnastics club, we provide financial assistance to help low-income families cover registration fees for over 55 non-school-based amateur sports.

Meet Anna

Meet Anna, a single mother of two Athletics4Kids grant recipients.

Navannah and Izabela have participated in gymnastics and cheerleading as a result of A4K's Sport4Life Grants they have received the past three years.

In the video, she shares a bit about the importance of sports in her children's lives, what they have learned from these team activities and how beneficial the support has been.

Thank you for championing athletes like Navannah and Izabela — because of your support, these two have the opportunity to play!

2023 at a Glance

  • 1,046 Sport4Life Grants funded

    Our top sports this year were soccer, martial arts, gymnastics, hockey and basketball.

  • Over 900 kids were championed

    We distributed Sport4Life Grants to kids in 67 communities across BC.

  • $245,619 in funding distributed

    Athletics4Kids supports kids to participate in over 55 amateur, non-school based sports.

Growing to meet the need

With the generous support of champions like you, Athletics4Kids has been steadily growing to reach more families every year, getting their children off the bench and into the game. 

Number of Sport4Life Grants Provided to Families

Value of Sport4Life Grants Provided ($)

Who are you supporting?

At Athletics4Kids, we do just one thing: get kids into sports. Through our Sport4Life Grant Program, we work discreetly with families facing financial challenges to ensure that their children have the chance to play by paying for 100% of their registration fees for amateur, non-school based sports. 

There are three elements that must be fulfilled for a child to be eligible for a Sport4Life Grant they must be:

  • Between 5-18 years old and enrolled in school. 

  • From a family with a net taxable family income of under $45,000, on social assistance, or be in foster care regardless of foster family income. 

  • Applying to participate in one of our 55 eligible non-school based amateur sports in BC. 

In 2023, we served a record number of families. Here's a look at a bit of who they are…

  • The average annual family income reported by families was $25,000.

  • 75% of the families were led by single parents.

  • 25% of our online applications in 2023 reported receiving social assistance. 

  • 35% of our applicants were also applying for grants from other funding agencies.

  • 49% of our applicants had received a Grant from A4K before, and 51% were new applicants.

  • The most common place for our applicants to be living was Surrey (29%), Vancouver (13%), North Vancouver (10%) and the Central Okanagan (8%).

Meet a few of our athletes

Laura’s Story

"In 2020, we took over guardianship of our grandsons, Eli and Oscar," she explains. "Things had gotten very bad with their mother. She was a single parent, struggling to make ends meet and facing multiple life challenges like homelessness, addiction and mental illness."

"Eli and Oscar were overwhelmed with trauma when they came to live with us. Thankfully, my husband has always been incredibly athletic. He focused on getting the boys more involved in sports — like hockey and soccer — as an outlet for them to work through their pain."

Sports played a pivotal role in the boy's lives as they navigated their new normal. But the more sports the boys played, the bigger the financial strain on Laura and her husband. Newly retired, they hadn't factored becoming parents to Eli and Oscar into their financial plans.

That's when they were introduced to Athletics4Kids through a social worker. Laura was able to access a Sport4Life Grant from Athletics4Kids to help Eli play hockey.

"Eli was so angry when he arrived to live with us. He didn't know how to process what was going on with himself as he was newly separated from his mom. It was an internal battle fueled by rejection and confusion," Laura remembers. "Putting him in hockey allowed him to focus on hockey instead of on the pain…it was like therapy for him."

"Families are struggling to put food on the table — there's no money for sports. Through your Sport4Life Grants, we aren't just building the love of sport — we are building amazing humans." 

Community Impact

Participating in amateur sports holds a special place in many of our lives. It was where we built our confidence, met our best friends, and dreamed our biggest dreams. We remember the joy of cheering with our team, the exhilaration of a match, and the satisfaction of mastering a new skill. 

While we had these opportunities, there are thousands of kids across BC who are on the sidelines because they cannot afford to play sports. 

With the help of hundreds of generous donors, companies, foundations and champions, we made 2023 a record year for Athletics4Kids, giving more kids the opportunity to play. 

Here are a few highlights from the year…

  • Sport4Life Gala

    Our 20th annual Gala took place on May 13th at the Grand Villa Casino in Burnaby. Raising a record-breaking $250,000, guests were treated to a silent auction, exciting live auction, live amateur-rule boxing featuring A4K Alumni and tasty food and drinks. There were so many reasons to celebrate, including that it was our first in-person Gala since COVID!

  • Athletics4Kids Golf Tournament

    On July 24th, 140 golfers played at Northview Golf and Country Club to raise over $170,000 for Athletics4Kids. With contests like the longest drive and a putting challenge as well as food along the course from Cactus Club and a silent auction, there was something for everyone.

  • 2nd Annual Volleyball Tournament

    Our 2nd annual grass volleyball tournament kicked off under sunny skies on July 7th. Six teams competed fiercely for the title and in the end, North Shore Sports Medicine bested their second place finish in 2022 to take home the trophy this year. The teams raised $2,700 for Athletics4Kids to get kids across BC into sports.

  • North Van Firefighter's Fishing Derby

    The Annual Fishing Derby, hosted by the District of North Vancouver Firefighters, took place on September 22nd at Lions Gate Marina in North Vancouver. The weather was great and the fish were biting! Over $80,000 was raised and split between Athletics4Kids and the Seymour Salmonid Society.

  • Battle of the Brews

    This event was hosted for the 5th year by the Surrey Firefighters, which took place at Surrey Civic Plaza on August 19th. All funds raised were donated to the Surrey Fire Fighters’ Charitable Society's youth initiatives, which includes Athletics4Kids. With 93.7 JRFM live on location as well as games, beer sampling and food galore, it was a great day for all!

World Wide Shipping

For the past five years, the team at World Wide Shipping and Chartering has championed Athletics4Kids through our annual Gala. Through their generosity, they have donated over $100,000 to help get kids off the bench and into the game. 

My team and I have always been involved in sports. We each played in whatever we could through high school and continue now our chosen sports as adults. Personally, sport has meant a lot to me in terms of friendships, experiences, and opportunities. Everyone deserves a chance to experience sport, whatever their financial means. The A4K team has heard me voice my frustration about the rapidly-increasing cost of sports and I think that A4K is rising to the challenge of helping those who need a hand.

As a business leader, I appreciate that partnering with Athletics4Kids helps us demonstrate to our partners that we share the same values of them — particularly the value of being committed to your community. To me, being a responsible business owner is doing what you can, when you can to better the places where we live and work. 

 

Ian Smortchevsky 
Director + President, World Wide Shipping and Chartering

In the News

Athletics4Kids raises awareness of children being locked out of sport due to financial constraints. We spend time advocating for these children and their families to ensure that every child has the chance to play. This year we gained significant media coverage to build awareness and share stories from the families and children we champion. 

  • Global News: December 9, 2023

    Athletics4Kids is featured on Global News' Month of Giving Back.

  • CTV News: December 20, 2023

    B.C. charity seeks donations to help keep kids in sports.

  • CBC Vancouver News at 6: December 28, 2023

    The cost of putting children in spots has been rising and it’s even more difficult for families that are already struggling to make ends meet.

Financial Review

For the families we serve, the Sport4Life Grants are an essential part of ensuring that their kids can stay in the game. The average grant we provide is $200 per year. These grants are only possible because of our generous donors like you.

Accountability and transparency with our finances is important to us. We want you to know that we focus on stewarding your donations well to ensure maximum impact for the families we serve.

Please explore our financial review from 2023 below or our full statements here. If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to contact us

Revenue

Fundraising Events: $346,608

Donations and Grants: $372,032

Other Income: $29,160

Total Revenue: $747,801

Expenses

Sport4Life Grants: $239,547

Program Expenses: $73,588
Fundraising and Admin: $137,903

Total Expenses: $451,038

“As a donor, providing access to this for more kids just resonated deeply with us. That's what you're doing when you give to Athletics4Kids — you're getting more kids in the game and helping to shape their lives through the power of sports.”

- Chuck, Athletics4Kids Donor

Meet our Champions

From private individual donors to companies and foundations, it takes a large community of passionate people who believe in the power of sport to ensure that we can say "Yes!" to every child who wants to play.

  • Allen Lougheed

    Amar Manuel PREC

    Ames Family Foundation

    Automotive Data Solutions Inc

    AV Pro

    Belmont Foundation

    Bob Leblevec

    Brad Mills

    Capilano Builders

    Cdn Global (Bc) Ltd

    Central Okanagan Foundation

    Chris Spencer Foundation

    Christine Dawes

    City of North Vancouver

    Clara Smart Shades

    Cobra Venture Corporation

    CSN Collision Centre

  • Dale Matheson Carr/Hilton LaBonte LLP

    Darcie Tiwari

    DB Perks Group of Companies

    Diamond Foundation

    District of North Vancouver

    District of North Vancouver Fire Fighters Charitable Society

    District of West Vancouver

    Enerpro Systems Corp.

    Enterprise Holdings Foundation

    FirsTech Inc.

    Fresh Mart #98

    Global News BC

    GMR Foundation

    Government Of Canada

    Gulf Pacific Group

  • Jackson Qualtrough

    Jeff & Michelle Clay

    John F Knapton

    John Hardie Mitchell Family Foundation

    Karim Amersi

    Keith Calder

    Kevin Qualtrough

    Knapton Agencies Ltd.

    Loyal Protestant Association

    Matt Davis

    Methanex Corporation

    Michael Matrick

    Mike Laurin

    MNP LLP

    Neptune Terminals

    Noble Crane Inc

    North Okanagan Community Foundation

    North Shore Community Foundation

    North Shore News

    North Shore Sports Medicine ULC

    North Vancouver Minor Hockey Association

  • OK Tire

    Orbis Investments

    Osler, Hoskin & Harcourt LLP

    Pacific Capital Properties Corporation

    Port Moody Foundation

    Prince George Community Foundation

    Raj Atteriwala

    Ring

    Ross Forman Personal Real Estate Corporation

    Russound

    Ryan Millar

    Ryan Russell

    Samsung

    Scotiabank

    SCP

    Simon Dodd

    Simpford Foundation

    Sonos

    Sony

    Staub Electronics

    Stephanie Orr

    Surrey Fire Fighters' Charitable Society

    The Calder Fund

    The Francis Family Fund

    The Great Canadian Landscaping Company LTD

    The Hamber Foundation

    The Karen Magnussen Foundation

    The Stollery Charitable Foundation

    Universal Remote Control (URC)

    Victoria Foundation

    Wayne Lee

    West Vancouver Community Foundation

    WestJet

    Westview Shopping Centre

    Windsor Plywood Foundation

    World Wide Shipping

Why I Give Monthly

Michael is a monthly donor with Athletics4Kids

Multiple times a week throughout the spring I find myself at the baseball diamond coaching my sons' little league teams. 

 There are a lot of amazing moments that happen over the course of the season — and one in particular that I want to share with you.

This year, we had a player who was struggling with batting. At the beginning of the season it just wasn't working for him and he watched as many of his teammates got hits while he either got walked or struck out. Despite this adversity, this player did not give up and worked hard on developing this skill. Practice after practice, game after game.

Towards the end of the season, he stepped up to the plate in a critical moment of the game. The pitcher threw the ball and this player hit an amazing double to right field. The whole team erupted and a look of complete joy and achievement flooded this kid's face as he stood triumphantly on second base with his arms raised above his head.

I am a monthly donor with Athletics4Kids because of these moments in sport — the ones that can change a child's life. 

To me, sport is so much more than playing a game. It's about learning how to work with a team, it's a place to build confidence and persevere, and it's a safe community for kids to connect, build friendships and grow.

  • "Sports has always been a beacon of hope for my sons. When you support Athletics4Kids, you're opening a door for a child who otherwise may not be able to play sports. And that can change everything."

    - Sue, Parent of two Athletics4Kids grant recipients

  • "Do I feed my children or do I put them in swimming? As a parent these kinds of decisions are so stressful and uncomfortable. A lot of parents might give up. But when your kids are exceptional at something, you don’t want to give up."

    - Anita, Parent of two Athletics4Kids grant recipients

  • “Without A4K, I would not be able to afford to put my kids in sports at all. The fees are too high. Just paying for our family’s living expenses is a challenge for me. It’s hard to keep up with rent. And these days even groceries to feed my family are so expensive.”

    - Min, Parent of two Athletics4Kids grant recipients

  • "Sports have been absolutely integral and critical to my sons' development. Lacrosse has been a place where they could just be themselves — a place where they could leave the challenges of school, of home life, and of being a youth, behind to just be themselves and have fun."

    - Susan Dos Santos, Parent of Athletics4Kids grant recipients

Thank you for your support and encouragement this year. You're reaching hundreds of kids across BC and giving them the opportunity to play. 

You can give every child the chance to play

For too many kids, the rising cost of sports leaves them on the bench.

Your gift today gets a kid back in the game.