Donation breathes life into Winnipeg outreach program

by jmifsud
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    At any other community centre or indoor skating rink, replacement of the resident scoreboard probably isn’t anything more than business as usual; a mostly unnoticed facility upgrade done to keep the status quo of day-to-day operations.

    At The Salvation Army’s Weetamah location in Winnipeg, it was about saving lives.

    “It’s the hot summer nights and we’re seeing anywhere from, on average, about 43 to 45 youth and young adults here playing ball hockey, or watching the game,” explains Weetamah’s executive director Mark Young. “Part of that I would have to contribute to being able to provide quality equipment. We’re sending a message of, ‘You deserve it.’ And that’s a big thing, because the message that is sent to these kids in this community is, ‘You’re nothing, you’re nobody.’”

    Weetamah’s ball hockey program is a year-round gang outreach initiative, which ran into a bump in the road when the functionality of the centre’s scoreboard – which was purchased in the mid-1990s – began to show signs of decline.

    “It was the old, analog, lightbulb, electronic, you know, wires everywhere, scoreboard,” Young says. “It had done us well; it was state-of-the-art back then. But over the years, replacement parts, replacement bulbs, were becoming harder to find.

    “So basically it came down to where we only had one or two little bulbs lighting up, and couldn’t tell what time is was, couldn’t tell what the score was; all you could go on was when the buzzer sounded. That meant the game was over. So it was overdue.”

    At The Salvation Army’s Golf Classic tournament in 2015, two local organizations, Supreme Steel Winnipeg and Mid-Town Ford, came forward with an offer that would ultimately breathe new life into the program, by funding the purchase of a brand new scoreboard (valued at roughly $6,000) for the building.

    Floored and extremely grateful for the generous donation, Young says when local businesses make an investment in outreach programs and organizations like The Salvation Army, it sends a message to the entire community.

    “If there’s a message I can get out there to any sponsors or potential partners, it’s that you’re partnering with change and saying to the community, ‘You’re worth investing in.’ I believe that’s why our numbers are not dropping, but increasing overall in that particular program, as well as our children’s programs throughout the summer. We’re so thankful for that.”

    With the Weetamah centre located in an area of the city with high gang activity and presence, Young says he has no doubt the program has been successful in saving numerous lives.

    “Ball hockey is the sport of choice by the community, it’s chosen by all of the young people here. So they come, from ages roughly about 14 and up, probably the average age is about 17 or 18 now,” Young says. “It really is a program that, they come in for the sport, we build a relationship, get talking to them and find out about what’s going on in their lives. They begin to trust the leaders here, and when trust is established, we then can talk about what’s going on in their lives; whether they’re in gangs, potentially being recruited for gangs, or we find ways to get them out of gangs. It’s a serious program through recreation and building relationships with these individuals who come in.”

    “When people begin to feel like they’re not forgotten about and they’re valued, it gives hope where hope is not easily seen in a community, where fear is usually running rampant. We’ve seen many lives change over the years through that program.”

    Currently, the program runs two nights a week, but Young says he would love to be able to expand that one day with more funding and staff.

    For more information the resources offered by The Salvation Army’s Weetamah location, including the ball hockey program, call 204-946-9490.