A relationship that begun last year has served Ehrlo Sport Venture, and the Outdoor Hockey league (OHL) in particular, very well.

“Over the past year through correspondence with Canadian Tire Jumpstart, we decided that our missions aligned,” explained Sport Venture manager Amanda McConnell.

Jumpstart offered to sponsor Sport Venture’s leagues, all of which provide equipment and are free of charge for participants. They began with a generous donation of hockey equipment for the OHL: 20 pairs of skates, 20 hockey bags, 100 rolls of sock tape, 12 helmets, and numerous pairs of gloves and elbow pads.

“The timing could not have been better – we dressed 99 per cent of the OHL league, and as a result we had very little equipment left. But there were still kids interested in playing. This donation made it so we didn’t have to turn away any of the players who had just heard of our league and wanted to become involved,” Amanda explained.

The remainder of Jumpstart’s commitment to the OHL will come in the form of a cash donation, to be used for the overall running of the league, from ice time to transportation and covering any other equipment needs that may arise as the season goes on.

“It is through support from organizations in the community such as Jumpstart that we are able to continue to offer barrier free leagues such as the OHL,” Amanda said. “By having the support of Jumpstart, we’re able to give youth in our community opportunities to play sports that they may not have otherwise been able to have.”

“Sport plays such an important role in the lives of many young people, and we want to be able to continue to give as many of them a chance to participate as we can.”