Ready, Set, Play Children's Charity
In 2014, Michele and Graham MacKenzie created Ready, Set, Play Children’s Charity to eliminate the financial barriers for kids to access sports and recreational programs in Toronto.
The need in our city is significant.
According to the Toronto Star, child poverty rates in Toronto have reached an epidemic rate, with nearly 149,000 or 29 per cent of children living in low-income families. According to the Toronto Children’s Aid Society, children from the lowest-income families are about half as likely to participate in extracurricular activities compared to the highest-income families.
Ready, Set, Play seeks to close that gap.
We sponsor kids who wish to participate in sports activities but don't have the means to do so. We aim to foster in them a sense of community, self-esteem, and confidence, and give them the chance to learn and play like any other kid.
We’ve helped children in Toronto—from south Etobicoke to the northeastern parts of Scarborough—to participate in recreational activities. But our work not only impacts kids, it helps families too. As one single mother living in a home for women at risk told us, the ballet lessons that her daughter received through your support allowed her daughter to have fun and learn to dance, and also gave her, the mom, a break—a chance to unwind, have a tea, and remove herself from the stress of living in a shelter while studying and working part time.
In 2014, Michele and Graham MacKenzie created Ready, Set, Play Children’s Charity to eliminate the financial barriers for kids to access sports and recreational programs in Toronto.
The need in our city is significant.
According to the Toronto Star, child poverty rates in Toronto have reached an epidemic rate, with nearly 149,000 or 29 per cent of children living in low-income families. According to the Toronto Children’s Aid Society, children from the lowest-income families are about half as likely to participate in extracurricular activities compared to the highest-income families.
Ready, Set, Play seeks to close that gap.
We sponsor kids who wish to participate in sports activities but don't have the means to do so. We aim to foster in them a sense of community, self-esteem, and confidence, and give them the chance to learn and play like any other kid.
We’ve helped children in Toronto—from south Etobicoke to the northeastern parts of Scarborough—to participate in recreational activities. But our work not only impacts kids, it helps families too. As one single mother living in a home for women at risk told us, the ballet lessons that her daughter received through your support allowed her daughter to have fun and learn to dance, and also gave her, the mom, a break—a chance to unwind, have a tea, and remove herself from the stress of living in a shelter while studying and working part time.