Your Story
Who are you ?
I’m a teacher within the Lord Selkirk School Division and head coach of the Selkirk Royals boys hockey and baseball teams. I was born and raised in Selkirk and have had the opportunity to work with youth in many capacities including a coach, teacher, summer camp coordinator and after school program coordinator.
Where are you from ?
Selkirk
Where do you live now?
Selkirk
Where do you work? What do they provide and what is your role?
Lord Selkirk School Division - teacher
How did you end up working where you do now?
After I graduated high school I started coaching hockey and baseball and developed a passion for working with kids. This led me to pursue my educational degree and eventually earning a job at Lord Selkirk School Division.
Where do you volunteer?
I am the head coach of the Lord Selkirk Royals hockey and baseball teams. I also helped to start the SAS Mariners baseball program and am the director of the program.
How did you find yourself as a volunteering there?
I have been involved with the Lord Selkirk Royals program since graduation. The SAS Mariners program has been a long term project that we have been developing with North Winnipeg Minor Baseball for a few years with the goal of bringing back baseball to Selkirk.
What does your volunteering provide?
My volunteering provides me an opportunity to connect with youth in our community and give kids an opportunity to play sports and develop a passion for the games they love.
What does a community mean to you?
A community is a group of people who share common similarities and passions. A community supports each other and works together to accomplish common goals.
What community are you apart of ?
SAS Mariners Baseball program
Who else is involved in your community?
Athletes, coaches, administrators and parents
How does everyone work together within your community?
Everybody has a role to play in making sports run successfully. Only by working together can we provide a program that works.
What are the challenges your community faces?
The SAS Mariners program is a new program that is growing and we will experience some growing pains along the way as we develop our program to best suit the needs of our community. Challenges finding sponsorship and volunteers will always be a challenge we will face.
What do you think is the impact of your community? What do they offer to others or those involved?
Our SAS Mariners community offers youth the opportunity to play baseball. By joining our program, youth will develop their skills, compete against others, make friends and have fun enjoying the game of baseball.
What is something you would like to create in your community or group?
We are continuing to grow the program and offer it anybody who is interested in playing. The biggest thing we would like is an opportunity for all youth to play baseball at any level and develop a sense of pride to be a SAS Mariner.
What is your biggest reason for being apart of your community?
To be able to provide all youth an opportunity to participate in sport. I have greatly benefited from having the opportunity to play sport growing up and I want to help kids have that opportunity as well.
What has been the best outcome of your community? do you have a success story you'd like to share?
The feedback we have gotten back from the community has been great. A lot of youth now have an opportunity to play baseball that didn’t have that opportunity before. Talking to our bantam coach he told me that he has 8 kids on the team that this was there first season playing organized baseball and that is the opportunity that we are trying to help create.
How has your involvement or work in the community changed you? How are your a different person now because of it?
Getting involved in coaching at a young age helped me develop a passion that I didn’t even know I had. It truly has made me the person I am today.
What are some of the lessons you have learned?
One of the biggest lessons I have learned is that you can’t do everything yourself. If you surround your self with like-minded people you will have a greater chance of accomplishing the goals you have set out in front of you.
Why do you want to share your community? What do you feel its is important to let others know?
I want to share my community because I want to show others that it if you have a passion that you want to grow and share with your community, to take that step and help turn it into a reality.
What is one thing you really want others to know about your community or group? Our program is designed for everybody. We welcome everybody regardless of gender, background, experience or income level. If you have an interest in trying baseball, please contact us and we will add you to our growing community.