How We Started
SportAssist is a Langford based organization committed to the goal of keeping sport affordable and accessible to youth in our community, enabling anyone wanting to participate in an organized sport with the means and opportunity to do so.
Founded in 2007 by Gerry and Kristin St. Cyr, SportAssist began when Gerry noticed a young player walking down the road, carrying his equipment bag. After seeing the same player several times following drop-in hockey, Gerry stopped to talk with the boy, and found out he could only afford to come to the occasional drop-in session, with no way to pay his way onto a league team.
As the operator at City Centre Park, Gerry noticed that there were other kids dropping out of sports they obviously still loved to play. In many cases, the reason was financial. Determined that kids in our community shouldn’t have to give up playing just because they couldn’t afford league fees, Gerry approached Langford Mayor Stu Young, who quickly agreed to help, donating $2,500 from the Mayor’s annual charity golf tournament to help get SportAssist up and running.
Three months later, SportAssist launched its own fund-raising tournament at Bear Mountain, attracting 144 golfers, over 30 sponsors, and raising $20,000. SportAssist’s annual golf tournament has become a much anticipated event in the Western communities, and continues to be the leading source of funding for our organization.
During its fifth year, SportAssist became a registered non-profit society with a board of directors committed to continuing and growing the organization and extending a hand-up to even more youth. Our goals for the future include expanding the number of youths we are able to support, and achieving charitable organization status, another way we can continue to build on our growing list of supporters.
SportAssist has been proud to support hundreds of local kids, helping them play the sports they love, and is looking forward to expanding our support for youth and our community in the years to come.
Board Members
Gerry St. Cyr
Founder
Gerry St. Cyr has been passionate about sports his entire lifetime. He has played team sports from the time he was four years old, learning from a young age the value of dedication and hard work, and then going on to apply these principles in every area of his life. Gerry played professional hockey, and coached at every level including his role as head coach for Team Canada’s Roller Hockey team.
Now Owner/Operator of City Centre Park, he recognizes that the entire community benefits when provided opportunities for our children, and he loves being able to work towards making sure that every child in our community has access to same opportunities that he had as a child.
Kristin St. Cyr
Treasurer
Langford resident Kristin St. Cyr has always been passionate about making a difference for people in her community. Having grown up in a small, tight knit community, she was able to witness firsthand the powerful impact made when people come together to support each other.
Kristin is currently the Manager of Finance and Administration at City Centre Park. She is looking forward to helping ensure that all youth in our community have access to group sports, and the important opportunities for growth and success associated with these experiences.
Wendy Hobbs
Director
Wendy, a proud parent of three and a grandmother. Her children were always actively involved in sports in the Westshore and Juan de Fuca Minor hockey. She has lived in the Westshore for over 35 years and currently works as an insurance advisor. Wendy has shown her commitment to youth in our community by being on the SD62 Board of Education for over eighteen years. She has been very active on other community boards and advisory committees in the past, including West Shore Parks and Recreation, Langford’s Planning and Zoning and the Westshore Chamber of Commerce. She knows it takes a community to raise a child and believes with the Sport Assist program we can help children attain a goal of playing in sports. Being part of a program that gives every child the opportunity to play sports and every parent the ability to feel proud while watching their child participate in sports is so rewarding.
Kyle Douglas
Director
Kyle was heavily involved with sports at a young age. Beginning as a competitive hockey and baseball player, he quickly developed into a provincial volleyball and basketball player and participated in many national tournaments. As a resident of the Langford for almost 5 years, sports have continued to be Kyle’s passion and he is loving watching his daughters becoming involved in competitive athletics and supporting local sports in any way possible. As a Branch Manager of Island Savings Westshore Branch, he contributes a lot of his success to the leadership, teamwork and drive that he developed as a youth in sports.
Ian Taylor
Director
As VP, Hockey Operations for JDF Minor Hockey Association, Ian has seen first-hand the positive impact that SportAssist has on our communities. Without the generous contributions and helping hand that SportAssist offers families that need a hand up in difficult times, there would have been far fewer kids on the ice the past couple of seasons.
Ian has always believed that every child deserves the opportunity to play organized sport. Every child should be able to participate in competition, be part of a team, and learn how to win/lose with pride. Organized sport provides every child the opportunity to develop life skills that they can bring with them throughout their entire life.