Winning streak: Canadian Tire Red-ball Campaign helps kids play sports

Miriam Ostermann
Times Associate Editor

 

The Strathmore Canadian Tire is on a roll, as their red-ball sales catapulted them once again into a winning place for the second time in a row, raised thousands of dollars for financially disadvantaged children, and increase awareness within the community to achieve an even loftier goal in the future.
Each year, Canadian Tires nation-wide challenge each other to raise funds for the Jumpstart Campaign, which ensures children in financial need within their communities keep active by funding their sporting aspirations.
The Strathmore Canadian Tire, which received new ownership under Randy and Shelley Orford in early 2011, secured a second place win last year, with 490 stores participating country-wide. The amiable competition to gather the most Jumpstart Red Ball donations per transaction garnered the local store a visit from five-time Olympic medalist Hayley Wickenheiser after raising $14,072.
This year, winners were separated by regions and competed for a prize of a community barbeque valued at $20,000 this year, Strathmore managed to raise over $14,000 again and the store decided to donate part of the winnings back into the community.
“Strathmore is incredibly generous, they’ve been very supportive to Jumpstart all along, and it’s not just us, the community is very important,” said Shelley Orford, co-owner of the Strathmore Canadian Tire.
“What we decided to do was make the barbeque a somewhat more modest event and use the balance of funds as a community donation that Randy and I are going to decide on.”
After 450 people attended the barbeque on Sept. 26, the remaining funds from the event – approximately $10,000 – will be disbursed back into the community. Although the doubling of the number of children making use of the program each year is a healthy indicator of the fundraising efforts, the campaign organizers Deborah Dunbar and Mike Carter were pleasantly taken aback by Strathmore’s business community’s enthusiasm to get involved. Chalking their previous success up to a new approach in involving the business community, the fundraiser had support from local businesses again this year. On June 27, the store held their Jumpstart Day complete with a dunk tank, barbeque, and face painting. Taking economic hardships into consideration, the store approached local businesses to take part in the dunk tank and have family, friends, and staff purchase red balls to throw at the tank and thus take onus off of the businesses.
“The one thing we didn’t want to do this year, because of the way the economy has gone or the way we perceived the economy was going to be going, was we didn’t really want to be going after the businesses directly themselves to be out of pocket,” said Mike Carter, service manager with the Strathmore Canadian Tire.
“So we wanted to make it something that was fun for everyone including our own staff. Just our own staff wouldn’t have been able to make that whole event happen. So that’s why we went to the corporations and asked them… and they were all over it.”
Ten local businesses got involved this year, an increase from last year’s seven organizations and businesses that showed their support. However, the Canadian Tire staff in Strathmore also received incentives to educate their customers and sell the red balls through competitions and prizes, resulting in the fundraising success.
“We tried to really push our staff to sell the red balls, get them pumped up about it, and it’s important for us too that all kids have that chance to play sports,” said Canadian Tire Store Manager Deborah Dunbar, who was instrumental in the campaign.
“The money raised here stays within the community, and doesn’t get distributed nationally.”
While Orford said a decision has not yet been made regarding the allocation of the $10,000, it will be revealed in the near future. Moving forward, the staff is focusing on greater involvement with the Strathmore Youth Club, raising more awareness, and aiming to raise over $25,000 next year.