West end youth to gain free access Toldo Lancer Centre thanks to $20K grant
The University of Windsor is helping to empower youth and help a currently under-served west end community thanks to a $20,000 grant.
Aiden Elliott is excited to soon play basketball at the swanky new Toldo Lancer Centre.
“STAG is real small. This is like a def opportunity. It's great,” said Elliott who is a regular at the Sandwich Teen Action Group.
John Elliott is the executive director of STAG and feels the new relationship with the University will help build confidence in west end youth.
“Kids would look at this facility and it's like whoa I wonder what goes on in there not having the resources or connections or whatever to come here,” he said.
Those kids will have the opportunity to use the outdoor stadium, the Dennis Fairall Fieldhouse, walking track, pool and triple gym for a full year starting in September through the Empowerment Program, made possible by a $20,000 grant by IG Wealth Management.
“I feel like it's really important because we're limited to one space Sandwich Teen Action Group,” said high school student Subumi Abiola.
West end youth will be able to apply for free access to the TLC through various groups. “
Such as Big Brothers, Big Sisters, United Way, local organizations including the Sandwich Teen Action Group that will help communities foster leadership and team building,” said IG Wealth Management regional VP Trevor LeDrew.
Opportunities are on the horizon for the west end after the City of Windsor recently approved a $29 million renovation of Adie Knox.
“Which is going to be beautiful when it's done,” said Mayor Drew Dilkens. “But to spend that kind of money and to do the work it's gonna take one to two years. In the meantime, those kids need a place to go.”
Leslie Frattaroli, United Way vice president of development, says being able to explore different recreational opportunities may also inspire post-secondary aspirations.
“Some of our families don’t necessarily know what the University has to offer and that the University is even an option for them. It allows our On-Track students to come to the campus and helps to motivate so that they want to achieve that goal,” she said.
The University is working on creating more free access for more people.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
BREAKING Bob Cole, veteran CBC broadcaster and former voice of 'Hockey Night in Canada,' dead at 90
Bob Cole, legendary CBC broadcaster and former voice of Hockey Night in Canada, has died. He was 90.
Harvey Weinstein's 2020 rape conviction overturned by N.Y. appeals court
New York's highest court on Thursday overturned Harvey Weinstein's 2020 rape conviction, reversing a landmark ruling of the #MeToo era in determining the trial judge improperly allowed women to testify about allegations against the ex-movie mogul that weren't part of the case.
Honda to get up to $5B in govt help for EV battery, assembly plants
Honda is set to build an electric vehicle battery plant next to its Alliston, Ont., assembly plant, which it is retooling to produce fully electric vehicles, all part of a $15-billion project that is expected to include up to $5 billion in public money.
MPP Sarah Jama asked to leave Ontario legislature for wearing keffiyeh
MPP Sarah Jama was asked to leave the Legislative Assembly of Ontario by House Speaker Ted Arnott on Thursday for wearing a keffiyeh, a garment that is banned at Queen’s Park.
CTE: Researchers believe widespread brain injury may contribute to veteran suicide rate
Researchers are working to better understand if some Canadian military veterans may be suffering from Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy, also known as CTE -- a disorder previously found in the brains of professional football and hockey players after their death.
1 arrested in northern Alberta during public shelter order
Residents of John D'Or Prairie, a community on the Little Red River Cree Nation in northern Alberta, were told to take shelter Thursday morning during a police operation.
Secret $70M Lotto Max winners break their silence
During a special winner celebration near their hometown, Doug and Enid shared the story of how they discovered they were holding a Lotto Max ticket worth $70 million and how they kept this huge secret for so long.
Remains from a mother-daughter cold case were found nearly 24 years later, after a deathbed confession from the suspect
A West Virginia father is getting some sense of closure after authorities found the remains of his young daughter and her mother following a deathbed confession from the man believed to have fatally shot them nearly two decades ago.
New deep-water channel allows first ship to pass Key bridge wreckage in Baltimore
The first cargo ship passed through a newly opened deep-water channel in Baltimore on Thursday after being stuck in the harbor since the Francis Scott Key Bridge collapsed four weeks ago, halting most maritime traffic through the city's port.