A core mission at the Edmonton based data company, Riva, is to be a part of the solution. That means investment in the community and an emphasis on volunteering to make an impact.

“The values and the mission of Free Play really resonated with us and our values, specifically being part of the solution and having fun.”

Shane McElhanney was a kind, charismatic, and funny young man, who brightened the days of his friends, family, and all others around him.

Tragically, Shane lost his life in a car accident six years ago at the age of 28. While they struggled with such a devastating loss, Shane’s family decided to do something meaningful to remember him. The Shane McElhanney Memorial Fund was set up in 2016 to “remove the financial barriers for children and youth to play the sport of their choice”.

“Having payment walls that get in the way of that, that they can't play because they can't afford the gear… I think that's a barrier that needs to be broken. There needs to be community involvement regardless of who you are, especially for children.”

This was Kal-Tire’s first year sponsoring Free Play, and Brad Hubbard already has a favourite moment from the relatively new partnership: The jersey inauguration where kids tried on their jerseys for the first time: Some of those jerseys being the ones marked with the Kal-Tire logo.

“Just seeing the excitement on their face,” Brad says. “That's pretty cool to see them excited about that.”

“[Sports are] where you build your social circles. Secondary families. We're still telling stories, me and my buddies, about peewee hockey or baseball tournaments… Those stories still get told today, 30 years later. And that just kind of proves the impact that sports have.”

As he explains, it doesn’t matter if Free Play was devoted to sports, arts, or any other hobby for that matter. All that really matters in Mercier’s eyes is he has this opportunity to support the kids in any and every way possible.

Powell works with business owners and senior leaders using proven models to get better results, which is often measured by productivity or increased effectiveness. From his decades of experience at work, and through sports, Michael says he believes the most effective form of leadership is leading by example — something the Free Play program does well.

“There’s so many crucial things that sports do for kids,” Ellis says. “Cooperating with others, having shared goals, being a teammate, winning together, losing together, being a good sport. All the good things from sports you can carry in other walks of your life.”

Armed with knitting needles and a desire to give back to the community, Cailín Mills and Knitmonton are working hard to make sure every child has a place to belong.

You can hear the excitement and enthusiasm in Edmond O’Neill’s voice as he talks about his love for sports. Growing up, he was very active in playing any sport he could, especially basketball. “I played a lot of basketball in junior high and high school,” says O’Neill. “I did men’s league basketball for about 13 years after law school. I played baseball too.”

“Out of something sad, has come something positive,” says Evelyn Chicoine.

In 2009, her brother Owen died from skin cancer.

He was only 21.

Owen’s sudden passing “was devastating for family, friends and the whole community,'' says Evelyn. However, they decided to use a sad event to propel a positive one.

To honor the memory of Owen, who had been a lover of sports all his life, his friends decided to host a hockey tournament and from that tournament, Win4Skin was born.

About 6 (or 7 ) years ago, Casanova went to his community rec. center to enjoy a game of soccer with his son. However, there was no place in the center for soccer, in fact, soccer was not allowed. Casanova grew up in Millwoods, an area he describes as very multicultural. “All my friends were Jamaican, Punjabi, Phillipino, Chilean.” Says Casanova. “ So you drop this facility in there where there’s no soccer allowed? That’s the first sport for all of those people.”

“We have a unique team approach,” says Squires. “One of the unique things about our brokerage is that all of our staff are paid a salary (and) we really go over and beyond what would be just helping people sell and transact.”

However, December 30th would bring a heartbreaking turn of events; as Nielsen had passed away unexpectedly. The devastating news spurred Sinclair to do something to remember Nielsen by. After giving it some thought, Sinclair decided to launch a GoFundMe campaign, which would crowdfund a sponsorship of the Lee Ridge Free Footie teams in Nielsen’s memory.

Rebalkin is now the co-owner of not only The Next Act, but also Pip, a restaurant on the corner of Calgary Trail and 83rd Avenue that specializes in “elevated comfort food,” wine, and cocktails, and Meat, a Texan-inspired barbecue centering around variations of, well, meat. The restaurants are co-owned by Angus, Nathan McLaughlin, his best friend since preschool, and Saylish Haas, a friend of his and McLaughlin’s since high school. Their friend Mike Angus also has an ownership role in Pip.

Berlin Communications’ downtown office, located across the street from Rogers Place, is a welcoming space within 104 Street’s Mercer Warehouse. Pop art is displayed on the walls of the main room and the offices and, in the office of Berlin’s co-founder Justin Archer, a maroon Free Footie soccer jersey hangs proudly and prominently on the coat hanger.

Holly Regel, ATB’s Director of Corporate Giving and Strategic Partnerships, emphasizes the importance of Free Footie to the communities that ATB serves, all in the interest of making sure that each of the kids in these communities get a fair shot.

Andrew Grose is a little distracted. Every couple of minutes, the veteran stand-up comic and producer of the Edmonton Comedy Festival’s phone buzzes on the table, and he keeps glancing over at it. But these aren’t texts coming in—they’re notifications of new ticket sales. “Nice, eh?” he says with a smile.

For Poul Mark, opening a café specializing in high-end coffee was a way to build community in central Edmonton. It also presented an exciting new challenge to the connoisseur’s palate he’d developed when he got into wine, years earlier.