As a community owned team, the Saskatchewan Roughriders have always taken pride in giving back to Rider Nation and the support the Roughrider Foundation receives is what makes the team truly special. This past year, the Foundation has been busy implementing new and exciting ways to give back and continue to focus our efforts on our three main community pillars: education, health, and amateur football. With a mission to empower youth and communities through the passion of Rider Nation, the Foundation is proud to have grown our initiatives this year and even introduce a new one with our Game Changers Playbook and Win with Wellness program.
Check out a little bit of what we’ve been up to below!
Grow the Game
Working with Football Saskatchewan, our grow the game initiative invites youth to learn the game of football with the help of Foundation player ambassadors and amateur football athletes from around the province. This year’s goal was to extend our reach and work with more Indigenous youth, new Canadians and women and girls.
After an all virtual Grow the Game last year, the Foundation was able to get back to in person and expand in both number of events and across the province with camps being held in both Regina and Saskatoon.
Rider Reading Program
This teacher-driven program aims to make reading fun by encouraging teachers to “Rider-ize” their reading and encourage students to maintain positive feelings towards reading. This year, Roughrider Foundation player ambassadors read to over 60 classrooms throughout the province.
Game Changers Playbook and Win with Wellness Presentations
Partnering with the Ministry of Education, the Roughrider foundation announced its newest initiative, the Game Changers Playbook, in October. The playbook is a collection of Ministry approved mental health resources that are evidence based and curriculum linked. The Foundation is proud to work collaboratively with Psychology Canada, Kids Help Phone and SaskTel to offer these resources.
Included in the playbook is the Win with Wellness player presentation series which brings trained player ambassadors to Saskatchewan classrooms to present on and promote the discussion of mental wellness for youth. So far this year, the presentations have reached 23 schools and 4,102 youth.
Northern Sask Football League Visit
The Northern Sask Football League was designed to ensure that financial barriers to playing the game are removed so all children can participate. The co-ed league spans over seven northern communities, providing youth a hobby that teaches them teamwork and discipline while also ensuring they stay active.
In June, The Roughrider Foundation hosted over 200 NSFL players and coaches for their Jamboree Camp at the U of R where the athletes were able to learn from player ambassadors as well as experience a game at Mosaic Stadium.
Other Initiatives
Throughout the year we also had the opportunity to work with community partners such as KidSport, the Mâmawêyatitân Centre, Ronald McDonald House Saskatoon, Saskatoon Indian and Metis Friendship Centre and the White Buffalo Youth Lodge . With their assistance, we were able to donate over 100 backpacks to grade nine students at Scott Collegiate high school, 900 meals and 275 take home bags at a community BBQ hosted by Darnell Sankey and 500 game tickets donated to the community.
To learn more about our community programs or to donate to the Roughrider Foundation, click here.
