School Champions: Homesteader School Site Sponsored by Evelyn and Lucas
“Owen’s first love was soccer. He was 6, maybe 7. 😂”
Evelyn still remembers it that clearly because that's just how Owen was about sport. The same with Larry, her husband Lucas's dad. A hockey coach who didn't know much about hockey and somehow built a winning team anyway, built on positivity and belief in every kid in the room.
Two men. One shared conviction of using sport to give kids somewhere to belong.
That's the whole idea behind Free to Play. Not a one-off activity, but somewhere to go every single day after the bell rings — which is exactly why Evelyn and Lucas didn't just sponsor a season. They secured Free to Play at Homesteader School for five full years, so no kid there has to wonder if it'll still exist next year.
"Kids want a place to go, and they want it to be safe," Evelyn told us. "That was the whole reason we decided to support the school for the longer term."
To honour Owen and Larry, artist Jennie Vegt painted them both into a mural now hanging at Homesteader School. Evelyn's exact words: "It's like the Mona Lisa." Owen looking straight out at everyone who walks by, inviting them into the program.
Owen and Larry will never get to meet the kids this sponsorship will serve, but for the next five years, everyone walking past the mural will feel their presence.
As Evelyn put it best, “they are here with you, cheering you on from those sidelines.” 💙
