ROK Receives Large Grant

This morning saw a significant cash infusion for Recreation Opportunities for Kids at Portage la Prairie City Hall.

ROK received a $14,000 grant from the Calgary Foundation's Darryl Seaman's Hockey Fund for an ozone equipment cleaning machine for the BDO Centre. However, they're still waiting for the charitable status, so they partnered with the City on the application.

ROK Board Chair Sheri Blaylock says it's something they've wanted since beginning to create a social enterprise.

"And that creates for us, another entry for revenue," she says, "We know that our funding currently, sometimes you don't know if it's coming. It's dependent on government, it's dependent on the climate of the day, so for us, this is a really important social enterprise and income stream."

Mayor Irvine Ferris commends ROK's work in the community.

"Certainly a chance to partner with them, and help them out, obtain the grant, was something we (City Council) were very pleased to do," he says, "There was no hesitation at all. These folks are doing some great work, and more and more kids are benefiting."

ROK Recreation Supervisor Lynne Parker adds the machine's here, and should be running in a couple of weeks. She stresses it's important to be able to clean their own equipment.

"Because of our hockey program, so the kids are loaned the equipment that they use," she says, "And now we are able to lend out equipment. Just by santiizing with sanitizing wipes, and all the rest, up until now, we've lent out to Youth For Christ for a family skate, we've lent out to Crescentview School, to La Verendrye School for their sledge hockey. That's huge for us, being able to share our equipment with others."