The Ontario Cerebral Palsy Sports Association (OCPSA) has received a $20,000 Community Board grant from the TELUS Ottawa and Eastern Ontario Community Board, through the TELUS Friendly Future Foundation supporting Youth Boccia Kingston.
This first-of-its-kind program in Kingston will provide high-quality, community-based boccia training, competition, and mentorship, creating local opportunities for physical activity, athlete development, social connection, and community belonging for youth with physical disabilities, including cerebral palsy, muscular dystrophy, acquired brain injury, spinal cord injury, and stroke.
For many youth with significant mobility limitations, boccia is the only recreational or competitive sport available to them. Until now, no local boccia programming has existed in Kingston, requiring participants to travel more than an hour to access the nearest program. Without local access, these young people are excluded from the physical, social, and emotional benefits of sport—reinforcing barriers of isolation and inequity. This new program will close that gap.
“We are deeply grateful to the TELUS Friendly Future Foundation for this generous grant,” said Amanda Fader, Executive Director of OCPSA. “This collaboration will provide youth with physical disabilities in Kingston with equitable access to consistent, meaningful sport experiences that foster skills, confidence, friendships, and a sense of belonging in community.”
“Through our partnerships with charities supporting youth, we understand the challenges young people with disabilities face in accessing inclusive sport and physical activity,” said Nimmi Kanji, Executive Director of the TELUS Friendly Future Foundation. “We are proud to be able to support OCPSA with a Community Board grant to help remove barriers, increase participation, and create lasting opportunities for youth with physical disabilities in Kingston.”
OCPSA improves the overall health, wellness and quality of life of children, youth and adults with cerebral palsy and similar complex disabilities through the delivery of sport and physical activity programming. OCPSA is a registered charitable organization and a leading amateur sport organization in the province for persons with a disability. For more information on OCPSA and Rolling Success Hamilton, visit www.ocpsa.com.
The TELUS Friendly Future Foundation is a Canadian registered charity that believes all youth, regardless of circumstance, deserve an equal opportunity to reach their full potential. By funding more than 500 charities each year that provide education and health programs, many enabled by technology, along with providing educational bursaries, the TELUS Friendly Future Foundation is helping more than 2 million youth in communities across Canada build skills, confidence and feel a sense of belonging. In 2023 alone, we provided more than $9 million in grants to 550+ charitable programs across Canada, and close to $2 million in bursaries to 400+ post-secondary students in financial need who are committed to making a difference in their communities. For more information on the TELUS Friendly Future Foundation, visit www.friendlyfuture.com.
Organization Contact for Media Inquiries:
Kira Crozier, Director, Resource Development, OCPSA
kira@ocpsa.com
