Read the inspiring stories of young Canadian athletes and how the Home Hardware Return to Sport Matching Grant is helping them get back in the game.
At Home Hardware, giving back to the communities we serve is an important part of who we are. The Home Hardware Return to Sport Matching Grant builds on the many local youth-sport sponsorships and contributions our Dealer-Owners make each year and our ongoing commitment to remove barriers so young people can safely enjoy organized sport.
Designed to provide support to youth sports teams across the country, Home Hardware is proud to partner with FlipGive to offer $25,000 in grants to help get kids back in the game after being sidelined by COVID-19.
Hear stories from some of the teams that received the Home Hardware Return to Sport Matching Grant.
OGC World Age Group Team is a small group of competitive trampoline and tumbling athletes that are vying for a spot on Team Canada to make it to the World Age Groups competition. These athletes have been training as best as possible over the past 18 months, with on and off shutdowns through COVID-19. The Home Hardware Matching Grant will be used towards the cost of travel and expenses needed to attend Nationals, and to qualify for World Age Groups!
Our team persevered through COVID-19 restrictions last year. Socially distancing made fundraising a challenge and FlipGive was great in that regard. We have many expenses to cover on our way back to play, including rent and storage space, practice jerseys, footballs, medical kit supplies, and new blocking pads. The Home Hardware Matching Grant will be put to good use!
The pandemic hit our baton twirling club hard. Our elite athletes were weeks away from competing at the World Championships in Holland, which were postponed when our athletes were at the peak of their preparation. Our elite athletes are continuing their training journey while they await World Championships in July 2022, and our younger athletes are anxiously awaiting their return to twirling as well. As with many sports, we need to rebuild and change the way we play. The Home Hardware Matching Grant would allow us to promote our athletes, share our journey and demonstrate how “playing” baton has helped us to mentally and physically get through COVID-19, as well as continue developing the programs that we have been adapting to throughout the pandemic.
We are proud to say that our club has survived the COVID-19 shutdown, but just barely. In order to keep an affordable rate for our skaters, the financial support from the Home Hardware Matching Grant is most helpful. We have been part of FlipGive for the past two years and our skaters like it and use the program. We will encourage our skaters to keep spending on FlipGive so that Gloucester Skating Club can benefit from additional support from this grant. Thanks for your ongoing support of amateur sport in Canada!
This season will likely mark the end of minor hockey for most of our players and we would like to make it a special one for them by ensuring our team budget will be able to cover extra expenses such as ice time and tournaments. This grant money will greatly assist our fundraising efforts! Thank you for such an incredible program and for helping teams as they prepare for the return to sport!
We are the Mississauga U13BB all-girls hockey team and COVID-19 has hit our team hard. We were unable to finish last season and this season we were barely able to get off the ground. The U13BB all-girls hockey team is hardworking and would use any funds received to increase our ice time and development. We appreciate your support!
The kids are so pumped to be back on the ice and in the company of their friends. I can’t even describe the excitement we’ve seen so far, and we’re just getting started! We are really looking forward to tournaments, road trips and team gatherings. The money from this promotion will go towards offsetting some of those costs and/or a team-building activity!
Like many young athletes, our Oshawa Lady Generals are thrilled about our return to play. For the first time, we have a tier 1 team! Our girls are up to the challenge but an extra boost would be put towards a team building excerise to help keep moral up.
Our team's focus this year will be looking for opportunities for the girls to develop themselves in all areas of their lives - as giving community members, as teammates, as individuals and as hockey players. The grant money generously donated to our team will be used for team development and team building activities to meet these goals.
We have an amazing group of skaters that love the game of hockey. We'll use the funds to help with tournament costs and team building activities like dry land obstacle course training and problem solving activities that we'll help them realize that everyone can bring something different to the team.
