May

17

So excited that our very own Oil Kings won their division last weekend and are advancing to the 2012 Memorial Cup – Go Oil Kings Go! The Oil Kings have been so supportive of Kids Up Front this year, so we’re pleased to share some well-wishes for the guys:

To the players of the Oil Kings:

On behalf of children and families of the Oliver Centre Early Learning Programs we would like to take this opportunity to wish the team good luck on their road to victory for the Memorial Cup. The children and families have enjoyed the games they were able to see over the past season. We have been very fortunate to receive tickets through Kids Up Front and have enjoyed each and every game we were able to attend.

So to all the Oil Kings players, the children of Oliver Centre have faith in you and will be “Cheering Loudly” for you all the way! GOOD LUCK!!

Sincerely,

Sue MacLean

Executive Director, Oliver Centre Early Learning Programs For Children & Families Society

May

17

A lovely email came through one of our staff partners at Catholic Social Services today:

This is a comment from one of our Youth mentor volunteers who took 5 newcomer youth to the Edmonton Energy basketball game on May 5, 2012:

“Volunteering with Catholic Social Services, is both rewarding and fun. On a recent outing to watch the Edmonton Energy basketball game, our youth were given free t-shirts, post-game autographs and one teen even participated in the half time challenge. They had a great time cheering, learning Canadian customs, spending time with their peers and mentors and just laughing together. There are many opportunities to get involved in the community and this was just one of many enjoyable activities that are provided by Catholic Social Services.”

Also, in the Edmonton Journal the next day there was a picture from the game and our group (Rachel and three of the girls) were in the background of the picture
– Kara , Youth Mentor Volunteer

Thanks, Kara, for taking the time to share your appreciation… Edmonton Energy loved hearing that you had a great time.

May

16

A couple of weeks ago we were absolutely blown away when we were given a personal tour of Braemar School by Terra Centre Executive Director Karen Mottershead. The work they are doing with pregnant and parenting teens is incredibly inspiring and uplifting, and we were so heartened to learn how much their students value the ticket opportunities we provide for them. We, of course, were left speechless by everything we saw, from the loving infant child care centre to the notes moms left on the lockers for other moms as motivation:

But this morning we were moved to tears by the work the organization does at their annual Promising Futures breakfast, most especially upon hearing directly from two teen parents at the breakfast about how Terra has empowered them and helped them work towards a better future for themselves and their young families.

Over the next couple of weeks, we’ll be sharing a story or two coming from our partnership with Terra Centre; we are humbled and honoured to be able to work with organizations like this on a daily basis, and are proud to be able to support them in any way we can.

May

10

Congratulations to the Edmonton Rush on an outstanding lacrosse season. Kids Up Front was thrilled to have partnered with Edmonton’s professional lacrosse team this year to provide Rush game tickets to local youth. But the community partnership didn’t end there: Booster Juice has been an great supporter of the Edmonton Rush by hosting school clinics throughout the lacrosse season. When we started working with Cheryl Schneider, a Healthy Living Coach for 7 inner city schools, we wanted to give those kids the same opportunity. With the generous support of Greg Christenson and Christenson Developments, students from those inner city schools were able to attend a lacrosse game and learn more about the sport at clinics in their schools facilitated by Edmonton Rush players. For most of the kids in the inner city schools, this was the first time they were able to have an opportunity like this, and watching them experience it was uplifting. Our favourite story was of John, a little boy who moved here from the Philippines only two weeks before the lacrosse clinic was held at their school. With an odd number of students in the class, friends paired off quickly and John was left on his own, not even really understanding what was going on with his limited English skills. But he was beaming instantly when Jesse, the Edmonton Rush player facilitating the clinic, paired up with him and proceeded to give him one-on-one tips and coaching him for the rest of their session.

John had a great time at the Edmonton Rush lacrosse clinic

To Bruce Urban, owner of the Edmonton Rush, and Gord Sawyer, President of the team, and especially to players Ryan Dilks (#24) and Jesse Fehr (#18), thank you for your community involvement and for helping us create something truly special for local youth. You’ve definitely garnered some lifelong fans in the process. Can’t wait to do it all over again next year!

Apr

26

Please join us for our annual Denim & Dice fundraiser this September… for tickets, click here.

Apr

26

We were saddened to hear of the sudden funding cuts that have affected our partner agency The Centre for Race and Culture (CFRAC). We strive to continue to support their programming, providing opportunities and experiences that the kids wouldn’t normally be able to go to. We are proud to provide positive messaging for these children through the events that we are able to send them to.

Recently, some of these kids were able to experience the World Junior Hockey Championships. It was quite an eye-opener, and likely another little bit of culture shock, for them to see how hockey-dominant our culture is  – most of these kids are used to soccer (football) being the dominant sport in their culture. Not only are they a racial minority when they arrive here, they are also experiencing cultural minority experiences such as this. We’re thrilled to be able to expose them to new events, and we savour the delight they take in experiencing it, and the conversations it starts to open up for them as well. Thanks, CFRAC, for the work you do and for letting us be a part of it.

Apr

20

Just got a heartwarming little note from one of our agency workers who deals directly with some of the children and families making use of the services Kids Up Front is able to provide:

“Thank you! I really appreciate all the cool opportunities you guys are finding!”

What a great note to end the week with. We look forward to building and growing Kids Up Front to be able to continue to provide quality opportunities and experiences for Edmonton and area youth.

Apr

19

We are so pleased to announce our new partnership with FC Edmonton, which will help us get local youth out to see some quality soccer games this season. If your agency is interested in tickets to any of the home games, please be sure to let us know. We look forward to growing this new partnership. Thanks, FC Edmonton, for making a difference in the lives of kids and giving back to our community.

Season home games (Clarke Stadium):

April 22; May 2; May 6; May 27; June 3; June 10; July 1; July 15; August 4; August 8; August 12; September 2; September 12; September 16; September 23

Apr

13

Professional basketball season is almost upon us! We’ve got season tickets to give away to our partner agencies… let us know if your kids are interested in watching some great games. Home game opener is May 4: mark your calendars!

Teams and groups, take note: Edmonton Energy offers fundraising opportunities for you… buy selling tickets to their games, your organization will get to keep a share of the proceeds. They also offer group discounts for teams. Contact Edmonton Energy for more details on these exciting opportunities.

Mar

23

It’s certainly been a feel-good week for us in the office, being able to be part of the chain of events that allowed Dotti to attend a Hedley concert on Wednesday night. You can read all about how it came to be here. For a girl who was rendered speechless days ago by the surprise tickets, it certainly looks as though Dotti and her sister had the time of our lives. Once again, sincere thanks to those involved in making this dream come true for Dotti, and to all our partners and donors who continue to help us provide such amazing experiences for such amazing Edmonton kids.

Dotti and her sister get to meet Hedley