Don Ellis, Contemporary Office Interiors
When Don Ellis first heard about Free Footie, he knew it was something he wanted to be a part of.
Don Ellis
Ellis has always held a passion for youth sports and a drive to give back to the community, having previously worked with the Boys and Girls Club, Sport Central, and Kids Sport. So when the opportunity arose to help out Free Footie, he was quick to jump at it.
“I’ve always been a fan of soccer, it’s one game every kid can play. It doesn’t take a lot of costs to get kids playing,” Ellis says. “It’s sports like that that I think we need to support more and get more kids active and moving.”
Ellis first made his way to Edmonton in 2008 to open up a new location for his business,
Contemporary Office Interiors – a commercial office furniture and flooring company.
For the past year, Contemporary Office Interiors and Ellis have been providing trucks and staff a couple times a week to pick-up food from the Edmonton Food Bank and grocery stores to deliver it to the food program.
“It was just a no-brainer for me to have my company give back and help organizations like Free Footie. I will take time out of any day to help those guys.”
In addition to providing transportation, Ellis and his team were able to build work stations at the Free Footie office that allow for coaches to host online sessions for kids while maintaining social distancing.
“Sports are really important to me. Growing up I learned a lot of good life lessons through sports. It really helped develop me into the man I am today,” Ellis says.
Now, he devotes his time towards giving that experience to the next generation, including his own kids, who he has seen firsthand build confidence and expand their social circles through their respective sports.
“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.”
Ellis says his philanthropic spirit was instilled in him by his father, and now he’s trying to teach his kids to do the same. While volunteering his time and resources to youth sports has always been a rewarding experience for Ellis, he admits there is still more work to be done.
“I’m really honored and blessed to have two really great kids and a wife that supports me. Sometimes working for non-profits and a full-time job takes a lot of time, but I want to try to teach my son and my daughter to give back the same way I do, just carry it on.”
“You can only lead by example, and that’s what I try to do.”
Written by : Peter Williams
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