PROGRAM PILLARS | Their Opportunity

OURTEAM

OUR PROGRAMS

INCLUSION & DIVERSITY

HEAR MY VOICE: SOCIAL EQUALITY

Their Opportunity is proud to introduce the very first “Hear My Voice”: Equality in the Community Edition. In collaboration with MLSE Foundation (Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment) this virtual 4-week program will be hosted by some serious athletes and public figures (Carmelina Moscato, Greg Morris & others) & offered to youth ages 14-19. Each week, participants will gain access to an episode of round table discussion by Durham youth as well as the athletes with the goal to engage participants in meaningful and peaceful conversation about diversity in our communities. Weekly, we will host a live zoom or in-person session where you will be invited to let your voice be heard as we discuss some of the learnings from this week's video, as well as inspire each other to make our community a better place to live, for us all.

BUILD A BRIDGE - NEWCOMMER INTEGRATION PROGRAM

A six-week initiative is designed to provide comprehensive assistance to refugees and new permanent residents residing in the Ottawa region. Its primary goal is to facilitate their successful integration into the Canadian system and help them thrive as newcomers. The program will leverage sports and social interactions as dynamic platforms to connect both young individuals and parents with their new communities. Additionally, these activities will shed light on the various economic, systemic, and social challenges that many families encounter during the process of relocating. The program's structure will consist of two distinct components, each tailored to address the specific obstacles encountered by youth and parents. The realm of sports will be employed as a means to foster social growth among the youth, alleviating the common anxieties associated with adapting to a new country and language. In parallel, parents will receive education about the array of settlement services available for their families. These insights will be delivered through interactive information sessions led by professionals in the field. To ensure a seamless access to these vital but often intimidating processes, collaboration will be established with partners such as RBC Newcomer Advisors and various Community Immigrant Services agencies.

INDIGENOUS EQUIPMENT DRIVE

In the first year of the hockey equipment accumulation, Graham McWaters (Campaign Founder) reached out to his son’s Richmond Hill team for equipment donations who helped raise 8 bags of equipment and numerous hockey sticks. The first delivery of equipment was sent to Beausoleil First Nation on Christian Island. Inspired by the first hockey drive in 2015 there have been numerous drives with each growing larger than the last to the point where over 1,000 bags and over 1,000 sticks are accumulated and donated in the fall to 30 Indigenous communities in Ontario and some remote areas of Canada. As of December 2025, a total of 6,000 bags of gently used & new gear and approximately 10,000 sticks have been donated to 72 different Indigenous communities. For the first time since inception, on November 6, 2023, we delivered 100 bags and 200 sticks to an Indigenous community in Behchoko, Northwest Territories…one hour northwest of Yellowknife. The 17 skids of equipment travelled over 4,500 KMs to reach its destination by train and truck. In February of 2025, we delivered 32 skids of hockey gear to Winnipeg bound for six Northern Manitoba Indigenous communities…Thanks to Grand Chief Michael Birch and retired NHL Stanley Cup and Conn Smythe winner, Reggie Leach, for introducing these communities to us. Thank you to CN for assisting with both of these long-distance deliveries!! We collect gently used and new hockey equipment through hockey equipment drives normally co-hosted with hockey associations and high schools. We need all hockey equipment, including sticks, bags and pucks.

For more information, check out our Indigenous Hockey Equipment page or contact Graham McWaters

durham-region-parasport-games-2019 (1).png

PARA SPORT LEGACY

During the 2019 Para Sport Games planning, the Organizing Committee (GOC) formed a partnership with Their Opportunity to manage $22,500 of the Games surplus to provide grants to qualified families with the purpose of reducing registration & equipment costs for children & youth participating in parasports in Durham Region. Some Games fundraising activities were completed in partnership with Their Opportunity; as such, contributions from 100 Men Ajax & 100 Women Who Care Ajax Pickering Whitby in the amount of $10,050 have already been directed to Their Opportunity. An additional $19,950 will be transferred to Their Opportunity for a total of $30,000. To apply for this fund, please contact Matthew Cronin – Matthew@theiropportunity.com

GRANT APPLICATION

DURHAM PARASPORT MANUAL

HEALTH & WELLNESS

SPORT SUBSIDY

Their Opportunity's longest standing program pillar is our subsidies program. It's built to help remove the financial barrier to ensure children from all economic backgrounds have an equal opportunity to participate in grassroots sports and recreation. FINANCIAL REQUIREMENTS To qualify for a sports subsidy for your child/children, families must fall within the financial criteria as per Revenue Canada’s Low income measure (LIM) thresholds by income source and household size To apply or learn more about the application requirements at www.theiropportunity.com/apply For more information on how to obtain your NOA please check out this link from Canada Revenue.

BODY MEETS MIND

The Body Meets Mind Program is a FREE 6 week (12x sessions), virtually & in-person delivered & designed using Yoga & Mental Health Sessions with the goal to promote physical & mental wellness through activity; while creating an inclusive community that connects vulnerable youth struggling with social integration, isolation & anxiety. Mental health sessions are facilitated by Psychometrist, Shawna MacKellar, M.Ed and Yoga sessions are facilitated by Mama Frances Adamson, Yoga Therapist. The two components are tied together to keep youth active and healthy in both mind & body.

SOCIAL RECREATION & DEVELOPMENT

PRIORITY NEIGHBOURHOOD PROJECTS

These programs are built to introduce priority neighborhoods & schools to new sports & life skills. We partner with local sports leagues, foundations & governing bodies to build, support & facilitate sport for development opportunities. The purpose of these programs are to bring a fun sports engaged inclusive environment that promotes health & wellness through nutrition, mental health, physical activity & critical life/social skill. Additionally, we work to level the school-ground playing field by supporting, building and delivering programs within the school yard. This includes equipping schools with the correct sporting resources such as sporting equipment and entire playgrounds. These playgrounds are a beacon of these communities and serve as a place to play but also gather and connect, as a community.

PHYSICAL ACTIVITY & NUTRITION (P.A.N.)

The Physical Activity & Nutrition program in partnership with the City of Ottawa & Ottawa Police Service provides an opportunity each year for up to 100 participants 10-16 years of age, in economically disadvantaged communities, to participate in a combined program involving both physical activities & healthy meal preparation & nutrition education. With the program goals to: • promote the importance of sport, recreation, healthy living & good nutrition • Enhance leadership opportunities through quality grass roots programming • Strengthen sport participation opportunities for economically disadvantaged Children & youth • Offer accessible, free & sustainable programs that are innovative, safe & fun which respond to the community needs

SOCCOR SPEAKS

This Hybrid online & in-person Intro To The World’s Most Universal Sport “Soccer Speaks” is a 6 week virtual-lead program leveraging universal language of sport to promote physical activity while creating an inclusive community that connects vulnerable youth struggling with social integration, isolation & anxiety. The program, hosted by professional soccer players Skylar Thomas, Dwayne De Rosario, Carmelina Moscato & Jonelle Hopkins. In partnership with KickDeck it is intended to support the needs of marginalized youth & children that have been disproportionately affected by COVID-19 & are struggling to maintain their physical health & mental well-being. These lessons will be delivered on a weekly basis in an online format & will be drawn from the KickDeck Training program. Following the release of the weekly pre-recorded soccer training session, participants will have the opportunity to engage with professional soccer players for a follow-up zoom session, where they can ask questions about that week’s training, engage in dialogue around that week’s character theme, receive pro tips & tricks, & gain insight into a day in the life of a professional.

APPLY FOR SUBSIDY

Apply for subsidy for your child with Their Opportunity here. Each application is carefully reviewed and we respond to you within two business days of your application submission.

APPLY NOW

SUBMIT YOUR GIVEBACK