KidsPlay hosted it’s free Annual Kids Play Basketball Tournament last Saturday, November 10 at North Surrey Secondary. They provided trophies, certificates, and $800 to winning teams with the aim of supporting families to pay for extracurricular, education, and sporting opportunities for their children. Over 150 participants and volunteers took part in the event. With the overrepresentation of youth involved in drugs, gangs, and crime in the Lower Mainland, The Kids Play Foundation has been focusing on providing them with a positive constructive outlet through sports. Much of the issues is attributed to a loss of culture, language and self-respect, which gradually erodes identity. Through our programs and events like these, we encourage positive activity which will provide youth an outlet away from engaging in a criminal lifestyle. Tournaments like such aren’t just a way to get the kids out for a day but to bring out great mentors who could start a chain reaction in those kids lives. We have had several mentors who have been a part of Kids Play for years and now are young professionals who have become police officers, sheriffs and other law enforcement officials. We also have mentors who are on their ways to becoming teachers, doctors, nurses and joining other respective fields. The Kids Play Foundation was founded by Law Enforcement Officer Kal Dosanjh, and 2012 Canadian Olympian Arjan Bhullar.
