Achi news desk-
The town of Salisbury, NB, is looking to help residents stay active through a new financial assistance program that helps parents pay for costs associated with children’s activity programs like sports groups and dance classes.
“As the most active community in Canada, we owe it to our residents to make recreation as accessible as possible,” Salisbury Recreation Director Massimo Carracristi said Wednesday.
The town was recognized as New Brunswick’s most active community in 2022.
Last year, they beat the likes of Toronto to win the national title after a month-long challenge by Participaction, a national non-profit organization that promotes physical fitness.
Karakristi said the city has allocated $25,000 to the Financial Assistance for Recreation (FAR) fund for this year.
Parents of children between the ages of 5 and 18 can apply for funding to receive a maximum of $300 per child, or $500 for households with multiple children.
Parents can apply in May for summer activities, in September for fall activities, and in January for winter activities.
Good news from Canada and around the world is sent to your email, as it happens.
They can only receive the funding once a year.
“We will prioritize low-income (households) but we still want to approve applications for anyone looking to apply,” he said, noting funding for recreation programs based in Salisbury would also be prioritized.
Most of the money is donated by sponsors, with a small percentage coming from the town budget.
Karachristi said several sponsors have already made multi-year commitments to the pilot program.
“I think it will continue,” he said.
“It’s easier to understand how much we allocate per application cycle. I guess the winter will be more expensive because of the hockey but the summer can be more expensive because of summer camps and everything that happens.”
Mayor Rob Campbell said he has received positive feedback from residents about the funding.
“Times are tough right now,” he said. “We love helping our friends and family in our community so this is so important.”
The town begins defending its national title during the upcoming Participation Challenge in June, and recently received $100,000 as part of the prize for winning the national title in 2023.
Campbell said the money will be used to expand the trail system in Highland Park.
© 2024 Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.
