The game is only just beginning

Dear editor,

At the grand opening of the Lethbridge Sport Bank, I was asked by the media how it felt to finally see the doors open. I hesitated. The only word I could come up with was “speechless.”

There had been so much work, so many conversations, and so many people who stepped up to help us get there. Seeing the turnout at the grand opening from our partners, founders, and supporters was overwhelming in the best possible way.

But the moment that really got to us came the next morning. We received our first application for sport equipment. When our team heard, there were a few emotions close to the surface. It’s starting.

After all the planning and problem-solving, someone had reached out because they needed what we had worked so hard to create. That first application made it real.

This is why the Lethbridge Sport Bank exists. It is a local solution to a local problem, making sure the cost of equipment does not keep someone from participating in sport.

Then a cash donation came in. And people started arriving with sport equipment.

To every person who has donated, funded part of this work, connected us with someone who could help, or simply told someone else that the Sport Bank is here, thank you.

Thank you for believing in this. Thank you for stepping up.

Because very soon, it will not just be our team thanking you. It will be people heading to the rink, the field, the gym, or the park to play, make friends, learn new skills, build confidence, and simply be part of something alongside their peers.

That is the outcome we have been working toward. And we are just getting started.

If you have new or gently used sport equipment that still has some game left in it, please consider donating it. If you know someone who may need equipment, please tell them about the Lethbridge Sport Bank. And if you would like to help financially, there are opportunities to contribute.

Join us at sportbank.ca.

We could not do this without our community.

Thank you.

Susan Eymann
Executive Director
Lethbridge Sport Council