We All Have the Right To Play

July 24th, 2008 by Teddy Jenner

Everyone knows how big the world is but in actuality, it’s relatively small. With the advancement in travel you can get to the other side of the world in less than a day and send emails in seconds to family and friends in Australia or China or Russia. The world of sport is even smaller and more so than ever thanks to Right To Play.

Right To Play is a humanitarian organization that helps better the lives of children in poverty stricken regions around the world. By involving the kids in play and sport activities the organization focuses on building healthier lifestyles, developing life skills and ‘fostering peace for children and communities in some of the most disadvantaged areas of the world’. Right To Play takes people from the communities and trains them to be ‘Coach Leaders’, role models for the younger children in these areas and with special visits from professional athletes, the kids begin to see the positive effects that play and sport can have on their lives.

Right To Play is growing every day with the help from hundreds of professional and Olympic athletes from over 40 countries. These athletes help bring awareness to the program and are proving to be great role models for children. The lacrosse community is doing its part as well. Some names lacrosse fans might recognize include Jim Veltman, Tracey Kelusky and Chris McElroy. All three have helped fundraise and have been very influential in the growth of and promoting public awareness of Right To Play overseas, in the United States and here in Canada.

This past week the Victoria Shamrocks held a Right To Play awareness night and it was a great success. All the players wore RTP T-shirts and there were auctions and donations being taken throughout the game. Through sales of RTP< key chains and T-shirts, the auctioning off of a signed Shamrocks jersey as well as McElroy's own NLL All-Star Jersey, we were able to raise over $2000. Shamrocks team President Jim Hartshorne, impressed with the donations made by the players and fans, upped the ante and matched the raised amount!

In talking with McElroy, he told me that in the coming year he will be doing some more traveling to spread the word of Right To Play on his own through parts of Africa and is confident that in the future the organization will send him on a full blown tour much like some of the NHL players have just returned from.

There are a lot of groups out there that are deeply involved in helping third world nations develop and grow but, Right To Play focuses on using sport and play to help the kids grow both mentally and physically. Please if you can visit www.righttoplay.com and check out some of the success stories and ways that you can get involved or donate!

As their slogan says, Look after yourself - Look after one another!