Ice time

HOW A PAIR OF SKATES CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE

The joy of lacing on a pair of skates and getting out onto the ice is an experience Skate To Great wants every kid in Canada to have, regardless of financial circumstance. In just its second year, the Toronto-based charity has collected more than 6,500 donated pairs of gently used hockey and figure skates. The skates are sorted and refurbished – sharpened and given new laces, if necessary – by volunteers, then distributed to schools and organizations across the country. “Skating should be a rite of passage for kids, not a priviledge,” says charity cofounder Evan Kosiner. Skates, hockey gear and helmets manufactured in the last three years can be dropped off at StorageMart locations across the country. For more information, visit skatetogreat.org -RS

LOCAL HERO: Lacing up opportunity

FOREST HILL RESIDENT HAS DONATED ALMOST 3,500 SKATES TO KIDSJEFF LAGERQUIST

Few things are more quintessentially Canadian than watching a child lace up a pair of skates and take that first wobbly stride on the ice. It’s a right of passage for most children, but many have to overcome more than balance and gravity before it can happen.

Forest Hill’s Evan Kosiner is convinced enough old pairs of skates and used helmets are sitting in Canadian garages to make taking to the ice a reality for Canada’s underprivileged youth. His charity, Skate to Great, redistributes donated equipment to the kids that need it the most. An entrepreneur by trade, Kosiner brought together a network of corporate partners and handed roughly 3,500 pairs of skates in the charity’s first year.