Dwight Bergstrom says he would love to raise $10,000 and be forced to spend the night on a scissor lift. (File photo/ paNOW Staff)

By Nigel Maxwell

Active kids

KidSport fundraiser in need of final lift

May 29, 2024 | 4:00 PM

A program that gets more kids involved in sports, is in need of a final lift.

The month of May is KidSport Month in Saskatchewan and the donation deadline is 5 p.m. on Thursday. Local Committee member Dwight Bergstrom noted Prince Albert has the highest number of kids per capita living below the poverty level.

“There’s lots of kids who would desperately like a chance to do these extra curricular activities,” he said, adding sports helps keep kids off the streets, and teaches them valuable life skills.

Since 1995, KidSport Saskatchewan has helped nearly 150,000 kids get off the sidelines and into a season of sport. The grants they provide to qualified families covers the cost of registration fees.

“We’re working hard to take away as many roadblocks as we can to keep kids out of sport,” Bergstrom said.

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About six years ago, the local committee found a unique way to promote the KidSport fundraiser. A construction company donates a scissor lift, which can rise up to 30 feet in the air. If $10,000 or more is raised by May 30 at 5 p.m., Bergstrom will spend the night atop the lift.

“I sure hope I have to spend the night on that scissor lift because it means we made a decent amount of money for these kids,” he said.

Noting when he was a kid, Bergstrom said his own family did not have a lot of money so he sat out and watched while his friends played sports.

“I remember those feelings,” he said “It just breaks my heart to see kids who like to be involved in sports, and their parents want to but just haven’t got the resources to do it.”

Any donation of $20 or more will qualify for a tax receipt and donors will be entered in a draw to win a bike from Fresh Air Experience.

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nigel.maxwell@pattisonmedia.com

On X: @nigelmaxwell