RBC goes to bat for cricket in Canada
$50,000 in grants shared with community groups through RBC Wicket Cricket Community Fund
TORONTO, February 25, 2009 — Canada's first
official national sport - cricket - is making a comeback and
a new $50,000 grant program from RBC is helping grassroots
organizations make the sport more accessible to young people
across the country. Demonstrating just how wide a reach cricket
now has throughout Canada, the first $1,000 grant recipients
from the RBC Wicket Cricket Community Fund include organizations
from St. John's, Newfoundland to Tofino, British Columbia.
"This is a very exciting time to be supporting cricket
in Canada and to help young people discover the passion that
this sport inspires," said Andrea Metrick, head, Client
Strategy and Multicultural Markets, RBC. "We hope our
grants make it possible for even more young Canadians and
their communities to enjoy what cricket is all about."
The fund builds on the already flourishing RBC Wicket Cricket
school program, which now includes some 900 schools and an
estimated 50,000 students across Canada. Grant recipients
were chosen based on their grassroots credentials, their focus
on young people aged four to 17, and their potential to develop
and sustain the game of cricket in their communities. Other
criteria included: innovation in cricket program delivery,
building awareness for the sport in their community, solid
community participation, and providing a safe and welcoming
environment for cricket.
The grant recipients include organizations wanting to expand
their existing cricket programs or start up ones in their
communities. One of this year's recipients is The Mississauga
Ramblers Cricket Club which was formed in 1966 and now boasts
one of the most thriving junior programs in Canada, with over
125 members. The Ramblers' RBC grant will go towards education
and coaching junior cricketers for their 2009 summer camp.
In Montreal, the Adastrians Cricket Club's grant will help
subsidize registration fees, purchase equipment, and create
an outreach program to find more coaches.
Another recipient, Brad Gibson of the Edmonton-based Lorelei
Knights Cricket Club said, "Thanks to RBC we can finally
purchase additional cricket equipment for this program that
we are so proud of. Our goal is to get as many kids as possible
involved with cricket, and more equipment means that more
kids can play."
Grant applications for 2009 will be made available online
in March. A complete list of the 2008 grant recipients and
further information about the RBC Wicket Cricket Community
Fund, as well as resources for community and school cricket
programs, can be found at www.rbc.com/wicketcricket.
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For further information, please contact:
Stephanie Lu, (416) 974-5506, stephanie.lu@rbc.com
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