Whyte Avenue Rotary Club members were on hand for a tour of the new facility, and to present a cheque to Grants Manager Courtney Lee from our Trivia Night fundraiser.

Sport Central collects, repairs, and redistributes gently used sports equipment and bicycles to children and youth (ages 4-17) facing financial hardship. The local charity recently opened its brand new facility in Edmonton's west end, as it continues to service families across the city and central/northern Alberta. They provide free gear for over 20 different sports to ensure kids can participate to receive the physical, mental and social benefits from healthy activities.

This past year, nearly 50,000 pieces of equipment and helmets were distributed. Next year, Sport Central is expecting to equip 18,000 kids for sport. To help ensure its success, our club is also making a donation from our Casino Funds.

Fun Fact: Sport Central played a pivotal role in the early life of Canadian soccer superstar Alphonso Davies in helping launch his athletic career. As a child, Davies received his first bicycle and soccer equipment from the organization. He says the bike was as important as the soccer gear, because it gave him transportation to attend soccer practices.

Sport Central repaired 3,116 bicycles last year. While on our tour, we saw a group of students from the University of Alberta taking part in their weekly volunteer shift repairing bikes.