Fourth-year kinesiology student Pam Mailloux still plays hockey every Sunday night in a rec league in Lakeshore, and even if times get tough, her father still finds a way to cover the registration costs for her.
A tool and die maker who has experienced first-hand the ups and downs of the auto industry, he’s been supporting his daughter since she started playing both hockey and soccer when she was a little girl.
Knowing the significance of having that support, it’s only fitting that Mailloux, president of the UWindsor Human Kinetics Student Society, would want to help an organization that covers the costs for financially vulnerable families who can’t afford to register their kids in local minor sports associations.
On March 10, the society will hold its annual Tri4Life event and proceeds will go to ASSIST – Putting Kids in Sports. Since it began in 2007, the organization has helped more than 300 children register in area hockey, baseball and cycling programs.
“We want to promote healthy, active living and make sure every child gets the chance to participate in sports if they want to,” said Mailloux.
The Tri4Life event calls on participants to find sponsors and then swim, bike and run for 15 minutes each. All events take place indoors at the St. Denis Centre. Grad student Jillian Ciccone, one of the event’s organizers, said participants needn’t be elite athletes to take part.
“It really caters to all ages and abilities, from the recreational exerciser to elite athletes,” she said, adding that more than 100 people took part in last year’s event. “It’s really up to you to decide how far you want to push yourself in each segment. It’s going to be a lot of fun, and a great way to help a very worthy cause.”
Ciccone said the event was first created in memory of Evelyn Manera, a UWindsor kinesiology student who died in 2004 after being struck by a car while riding her bicycle in her hometown of Guelph. A scholarship was established in her name, and since then, thousands of dollars have been raised for it.
Individuals can register for $35 or $75 in donations, and teams of two to three participants can register for $75 or $180 in donations. Participants can register on line at the event’s website, or in person on Thursday mornings from 9:30 to 11:30 a.m. inside the Human Kinetics Building.
For more information, contact Jillian Ciccone at cicconej@uwindsor.ca.