Media
CP24 Live @ 3:30pm
Source: Youtube | August 22, 2014
Skate To Great Live On CP24 at 3:30pm
CP24 Intro Nathan Phillips Square Overview @ 2:30pm
Source: Youtube | August 22, 2014
CP24 – Quick Event Snapshot from Tower Cam at 2:30pm
Followed by five segments between 3:30 – 5:30.
Ryerson Student’s Charity Hits the Ice Running
Source: The Ryersonian | August 22, 2014
Skate to Great, a non-profit organization co-founded by a Ryerson Radio and Television Arts student, took over Nathan Philips Square Sunday with a charity drive to collect new and used skates for disadvantaged youth.
Politicians, musicians, and professional figure skaters were out in force for the charity, collecting gently used skates and hockey equipment for families who normally wouldn’t be able to afford them.
Evan Kosiner, a Radio and Television Arts student from Ryerson, Co-founded Skate to Great with Katilyn Weaver, a figure skater, in November.
“The idea is that every kid in Canada should have the opportunity to skate because skating is such an integral part of Canadian culture,” said Kosiner.
Sunday’s charity drive saw appearances by MP John Carmichael, Tyler Armes of the Canadian band Down With Webster, along with Canadian figure skaters Paul Poirier and Piper Gilles who were on hand to receive the equipment.
“We knew right away what a great cause it was. As skaters and people that skate everyday we really know what a joy it is and we really want to share that opportunity with every kid in Canada,” said Poirier.
Lowe’s Home Improvement and FedEx Express Canada are among Skate to Great’s sponsors who took part in the event. Lowe’s provided a “mini-rink” which was stationed next to the skating rink where people were able to leave their donated skates to be collected.
FedEx agreed to provide Skate to Great with free shipping services to get all donated skates to their new homes and has also donated $5000 for the purchase of new skates in support of the initiative.
From now until next Sunday, Lowe’s locations within the GTA will be accepting donated skates for Skate to Great. These donations go through Courage Canada, another non-profit organization that provides blind and visually-impaired Canadians with the opportunity to skate and play Blind Hockey.
Skating for a Cause
Source: The Eyeopener | August 22, 2014
By Sports Editor Gabriel Lee
Skate to Great hosted their first event to collect skates for children who are blind and visually impaired. It was held at Nathan Philips Square by the co-founders, world class figure skater Kaitlyn Weaver and Evan Kisoner, a fourth-year Radio and Television student.
“There are so many children whose families cannot afford skates, lessons or necessary ice time to learn how to skate,” said Kosiner. “This is where Skate to Great comes in.”
They collected 288 yesterday, however they’re expecting many more skates to be donated from the drop boxes they’ve placed across the Greater Toronto Area (GTA). FedEx Canada is also donating $5,000 towards the purchase of new skates in support of this initiative.
Kaitlyn Weaver, a six-time Canadian medalist in figure skating, had always wanted to pass on her passion for skating to underprivileged youth but she didn’t have a plan in place to carry out her goal.
With the help of Kosiner, Weaver was able to get her vision off the ground. Weaver and Kosiner first came up with the idea last summer after meeting at the Vancouver Olympics in 2010.
“Pretty much this started what if there could be an opportunity for kids around the country to be able to skate?” said Weaver. “I didn’t know how’d it be possible, but if there’s something I want to give back, it’s the ability to skate.”
“Evan came to me and said ‘hey let’s make this happen’ and he knew the people and had the vision to put it all together.”
Out of the twelve people on the organizing committee, four of them are either current Ryerson students or alumni.
Weaver hopes the organization will continue to grow in the future, and events like this one will happen more frequently and on a larger scale throughout North America.
“The sky’s the limit really. As far as dreaming big I’m hoping it can branch out to the United States,” said Weaver. “Skating in general is kind of suffering in these two countries and anything to revive it and get people back on the ice is a success.”
Tyler Armes from the band Down with Webster and figure skaters Piper Gilles and Paul Poirer were on hand yesterday to help receive used skates.
Skating to Greatness
Source: Ryerson Today | August 22, 2014
Evan Kosiner, a young entrepreneur and Radio and Television Arts student from Ryerson University along with Kaitlyn Weaver – rated second in Canada’s Senior Dance Figure Skating, joined forces to encourage people to donate their used skates to the less fortunate and at-risk youth.
Skate To Great Donates Skates to Big Brothers Big Sisters of Toronto-Figure Skaters Piper Gilles and Paul Poirier Join the Kids for the JAM Direct Holiday Party
Source: Reuters – Media Release | August 22, 2014
Canadian Bronze Medal Figure Skaters Piper Gilles & Paul Poirier will join 200 kids from Big Brothers Big Sisters of Toronto for their annual Holiday Party. Skate To Great will be providing skates to the Little Brothers and Little Sisters in attendance at the Mattamy Athletic Centre on Saturday December 8th as Skate To Great launches their Winter Skate Drive. Program on Saturday, December 8th, 2012
When: 12:30pm Kids lace-up 1pm Canadian Bronze Medal Figure Skaters Piper Gilles & Paul Poirier performing their exhibition routine. Where: Mattamy Athletic Centre (Formerly Maple Leaf Gardens), Ice Level (3rd Floor) 60 Carlton Street, Toronto, Ontario M5B 1L1 Who: 200 Kids from Big Brothers Big Sisters of Toronto will be outfitted with Skates. Canadian Bronze Medal Figure Skaters Piper Gilles & Paul Poirier
Skate To Great is a not-for-profit organization that pairs new and used donated skates and equipment with deserving children and at-risk youth.
The charity began last March when two friends, both passionate about skating while attending University, saw the need for every child in Canada to be able to enjoy ice skating. Support quickly came from FedEx Express Canada, StorageMart, Lowe’s Home Improvement Warehouse and Ryerson University’s Digital Media Zone to help collect and distribute new and gently used skates and helmets for the kids.
December 8th marks the launch of national donation sites across Canada including cities such as: Vancouver, Montreal, Quebec City, Calgary, Edmonton, Saskatoon, Regina, Lethbridge, Hamilton, Barrie, London, Windsor plus many more. Skate To Great is also creating funding to the organizations they work with to support the cost of new helmets and volunteer background checks for volunteers working with kids.
Skate To Great will become a household throughout North America by 2014. The organization is continuously seeking additional assistance, volunteers and resources. For more information on volunteering, please email volunteer@skatetogreat.org.
Special thanks goes out to FedEx Express Canada who has kindly donated $5000 for helmets and select skates for the children.
DMZ-based Company Brings Skating to Children in Need
Source: Ryerson Today | August 22, 2014
An expected 200 young children will be skating to greatness on Dec. 8.
This Saturday from noon to 4 p.m., Skate to Great is helping organize the Big Brothers & Big Sisters (BBBS) of Toronto’s JAM Direct Holiday Skate at the Mattamy Athletic Centre. Skate to Great is a non-profit organization that provides marginalized children and youth with new and used donated skates and equipment. The private winter party is one way Skate to Great has been able to connect underprivileged children with quality ice time. Radio and television arts graduate Evan Kosiner co-founded the non-profit as a way to provide every child, regardless of their circumstances, the opportunity to skate.
Saturday’s event includes a lunch as well as a performance by Canadian figure skaters Piper Gilles and Paul Poirier, who will also help children skate. BBBS children range from as young as three-years-old to 18. Skate to Great has collected skates from holding skate drives at local high schools, accepting donations from the Figure Skating Boutique, and planting drop-off boxes at 300 locations across the country.
While Skate to Great hasn’t raised any money, Kosiner says the skates have poured in and they’ve been able to support other non-profits such as Courage Canada, HEROS Hockey and BBBS.
“With our supporters and charitable recipients it helps skate donors know their skates are going to reputable organizations and companies supporting us in various ways,” Kosiner said.
Almost 40 Ryerson students and alumni intern for Skate to Great and its success is completely volunteer-driven. Additional support from FedEx Express Canada, StorageMart and Lowe’s Home Improvement stores has enabled Skate to Great to expand its cause. FedEx provides logistical and shipping services and has made three separate $5,000 skate and helmet donations to Skate’s other chosen charities. StorageMart stores and receives skates at all their locations and Lowe’s has helped build mini-rinks for Skate’s events. Working out of the Digital Media Zone, Ryerson’s multidisciplinary workspace for research and innovation, also gives Kosiner a main office to connect with his team and industry people.
Kosiner co-founded the organization with Kaitlyn Weaver, fourth-ranked skater in the world. After meeting through mutual friends, Kosiner and Weaver had a discussion about how skating is ingrained in Canadian culture and as such, every child should have an opportunity to skate. From there they started working together to make the dream a reality. Skate to Great was registered as a non-profit in March 2012 and caught the attention of Prime Minister Stephen Harper who wrote a letter to the staff commending them on their involvement, leadership and community spirit.
Specific skate sizes are still needed for this Saturday. Visit www.facebook.com/skatetogreat to find out more.
Big Brothers Big Sisters of Toronto JAM Direct Holiday Party
Source: newz4u | August 22, 2014
Today at the Mattamy Athletic Centre in Toronto Big Brothers and Big Sisters brought more than 200 of their Littles for a day of skating and fun. Local group Skate to Great provided skates to all kids and FedEx donated helmets.
The air was alive with children’s excitement at the Mattamy Athletic Centre. Kids were enjoying arts and crafts, sporting games, skating and some of the yummiest food around. Canadian Bronze Medal Figure Skaters Piper Gilles & Paul Poirier also skated for the kids before the ice rink was opened for an afternoon of fun!
The holiday party has been going on for 10 years but without the support of other companies it could not continue. Today’s event was hosted by Jam Direct. The company owned by a former Big Brother paid for everything so that there is no cost to the agency.
Kate Maynard, Fundraising Events Manager for Big Brothers Big Sisters said, “Without Jam Direct we couldn’t do it. This is President Sean Garvey’s way of giving back.” Maynard explained that Garvey was a Big Brother until fairly recently and was wanting to help the program. Last year was the Jam Direct’s first year covering all of the costs of the holiday event which climbed into tens of thousands of dollars.
Maynard said that any of the food that was left over will be going home with the kids. Sadly for many of the children in the program hunger is an issue. The kids also took hoe a gift bag provided by Loblaws that included treats and a toy.
This is the first year for Skate To Great and the BBBS holiday event was a perfect match. Co-founder Evan Kosiner said that it was great seeing the kids be so excited. Each child at the holiday party went home with a pair of skates collected by Skate To Great.
FedEx Express Canada who has kindly donated $5000 for helmets and select skates for the children.
The Big Brothers Big Sisters(BBBS) program has been mentoring children and youth for 100 years. Canada’s program started in 1913 in Toronto and is the largest mentoring program in the nation. Big Brothers and Big Sisters take an active role in the lives of their Little Brothers and Little Sisters spending an hour or two with them each week. There is always a need for adults to be part of the program especially men. If you would like to be a Big Brother or Big Sister connect your local agency.
Digital Journal
Source: Digital Journal | August 22, 2014
Today at the Mattamy Athletic Centre in Toronto Big Brothers and Big Sisters brought more than 200 of their Littles for a day of skating and fun. Local group Skate to Great provided skates to all kids and FedEx donated helmets. The air was alive with children’s excitement at the Mattamy Athletic Centre. Kids were enjoying arts and crafts, sporting games, skating and some of the yummiest food around. Canadian Bronze Medal Figure Skaters Piper Gilles & Paul Poirier also skated for the kids before the ice rink was opened for an afternoon of fun!
The holiday party has been going on for 10 years but without the support of other companies it could not continue. Today’s event was hosted by Jam Direct. The company owned by a former Big Brother paid for everything so that there is no cost to the agency.
Kate Maynard, Fundraising Events Manager for Big Brothers Big Sisters said, “Without Jam Direct we couldn’t do it. This is President Sean Garvey’s way of giving back.” Maynard explained that Garvey was a Big Brother until fairly recently and was wanting to help the program. Last year was the Jam Direct’s first year covering all of the costs of the holiday event which climbed into tens of thousands of dollars.
Maynard said that any of the food that was left over will be going home with the kids. Sadly for many of the children in the program hunger is an issue. The kids also took hoe a gift bag provided by Loblaws that included treats and a toy.
This is the first year for Skate To Great and the BBBS holiday event was a perfect match. Co-founder Evan Kosiner said that it was great seeing the kids be so excited. Each child at the holiday party went home with a pair of skates collected by Skate To Great.
FedEx Express Canada kindly donated $5000 for helmets and select skates for the children. The Big Brothers Big Sisters(BBBS) program has been mentoring children and youth for 100 years. Canada’s program started in 1913 in Toronto and is the largest mentoring program in the nation. Big Brothers and Big Sisters take an active role in the lives of their Little Brothers and Little Sisters spending an hour or two with them each week. There is always a need for adults to be part of the program especially men. If you would like to be a Big Brother or Big Sister connect your local agency.
CTV News at 6:00pm
Source: Skate To Great YouTube Channel | August 22, 2014
CTV’s event coverage of Big Brothers Big Sisters of Toronto’s Holiday Party where Skate To Great donated skates for over 200 kids to participate. Thanks to the assistance of FedEx Express Canada kids received new helmets to keep as well.
