Special guest blogger Kelsey Bachinski
I have been working at Ehrlo Sport Venture in some capacity for over four years now and every year I have had the opportunity to see each of our four leagues grow in participants, flourish with new volunteers, and explode with excitement, gratitude and smiles. It’s well known that Sport Venture operates free sport leagues in the community, but many don’t know that we also offer a free sports equipment lending library.
Kelsey Bachinski
One thing we have always had quite a bit of was ball gear. For the past three seasons our ball gear has been rented by schools and other organizations. This year has been a bit of a different story; one that is amazing and I’m excited to share.
This year one single man decided to take it upon himself to spread the joy of softball within his community. He came here one day in April and asked if he could borrow a couple of baseball gloves so he could play with his kids. My reply was, “of course!” A week later he returned and asked if he could borrow more for his friends. Again, we were delighted to say yes.
Those two simple yeses empowered the young man to not only invite his immediate friends to play ball, but to also encourage anyone in the community who was interested in playing ball. He distributed signs, hung flyers, and spread word that he would organize softball games every Saturday in North Central Regina. We sat back in the office talking about how amazing it was for him, and others, to take action and ownership of the wellbeing of their community. For the first time in my experience at Sport Venture someone used our facility to help others get active.
So I sit back today and think how amazing is it to see this program come full circle. Someone donates to us, we essentially donate to others, and the community is able to get and stay active. As more equipment is borrowed, the word spreads and more people engage with us – using the lending library and bringing their children to play in our leagues.
My time with Ranch Ehrlo is coming to an end as I am leaving to teach, and yet all I can think about is how amazing this place is and how much it has changed me as a person. Donating a ball can bring a thousand smiles. Volunteering your time can change a person’s life path. And being part of something that empowers others makes us all better people.
We all have the opportunity to be a part of something so much bigger than us.
So if you have a ball, a bat, camping gear, fishing rods, hockey equipment, yoga mats, or other stuff sitting at home that you’re no longer using, donate it to us and help someone else enjoy getting active and having fun.
Ehrlo Sport Venture is located at 2730 5th Ave.,Regina. For more info call 751-2411.
