MCPEI ANNOUNCES ABORIGINAL MULTI-SPORT PROGRAM

CHARLOTTETOWN, PEI, April 2, 2008 - The Mi’kmaq Confederacy of Prince Edward Island (MCPEI) is pleased to announce they have secured a facility to deliver a Multi-Sport program for Aboriginal youth in the Charlottetown area.

The Multi-Sport Program, delivered through MCPEI’s Sport and Recreation Department, will run for two months, beginning April 8. The Program will start at 6:30pm and will run at least twice a week at the Charlottetown Boys and Girls Club at 39 St. Peter’s Road. The program has been made possible a $5000 contribution by True Sport Community Fund, a fund developed by True Sport Foundation.

“This will be a great chance to provide Aboriginal youth with a structured environment to participate in various sports and improve their health, and most importantly have fun while doing so,” said Ryan Knockwood, Sport and Recreation Coordinator for MCPEI.

MCPEI is working to ensure Aboriginal youth in Charlottetown and neighboring communities could have access to a safe and fun environment where they can explore new sports and enjoy their favorite sports, and in the process receive the health benefits that accompany physical activity.

“This is going to be a great program for our youth and will help them explore sports they may not have had a chance to try out yet. It will also help in identifying and preparing our young athletes for participation in the North American Indigenous Games, which are held every three years in various locations in North America,” said Mr. Knockwood. “This is a very significant event for these young athletes. It is a source of great pride in participating communities and it is my hope that this will be the first step to forming a lasting team for PEI”.

True Sport Community Fund grants are available to community-based sport and recreation organizations throughout Canada to help address issues of access and inclusion that prevent low income, new Canadian, and Aboriginal children and youth, aged 4-17, from participating in sports. The grant is the result of a partnership between The J.W. McConnell Family Foundation and the True Sport Foundation.

The grant will fund the rent for the facility at the Charlottetown Boys and Girls Club. It will also be used for equipment and transportation for participants if needed.

“Through the True Sport Community Fund, we are helping communities to provide tools and programs that will provide Canadian children and youth with an opportunity to participate in values-driven sport,” said Victor Lachance, executive director of the True Sport Foundation. “Communities and community organizations have the power to ensure that sport lives up to its full potential – providing Canadians with the kind of sport they demand and deserve. Sports can teach us about respect and fair play, and making sports accessible to children from many different backgrounds is very important.”

The True Sport Community Fund is administered by the True Sport Foundation, Canada’s leading charitable organization committed to the belief that values-driven sport makes a powerful, positive, contribution to the development of individuals, communities and Canadian society. True Sport is a Canadian movement that celebrates the sport Canadians want: a sport built on values that bring out the best in people. True Sport is about athletes, parents, coaches and officials across the country giving voice to the great good that sport can do, not only for individuals and their teams, but also for the neighbourhoods, the cities, and the towns they live in.

For more information on the True Sport Community Fund, or to apply online visit www.truesport.ca/tsfund.The next deadline for applications is May 31, 2008.

For more information, contact:

Ryan Knockwood
Sport and Recreation Coordinator
Mi’Kmaq Confederacy of Prince Edward Island
(902) 626-2882/ (902) 393-2471

Rosemary Pitfield
Director Communications and Marketing
True Sport Foundation
(613) 521-3340 ext. 3236

ABOUT MCPEI
MCPEI is a tribal organization for PEI Mi’kmaq Governments in Lennox Island and Abegweit (Rocky Point, Morell Rear and Scothfort) and their citizens living on and off reserve.