Kitchener, ON – June 16, 2020 – Today the Kitchener Rangers Hockey Club announced the launch of the Kitchener Rangers Community Fund. Rangers Reach is an independent non-profit organization, at arms length from the hockey club. With a focus on supporting the community that continues to support the Kitchener Rangers, the fund will coordinate community support and donations previously managed by the business operations side of the hockey club.
Since 2002, the Kitchener Rangers have had a strong focus on community support – providing financial and in-kind donations to amateur sport organizations, partnerships with KSA and funding upgrades to the Kitchener Memorial Auditorium. More than 15 million dollars has provided sports scholarships, facility improvements, provided sport access for marginalized youth and supported numerous community causes.
Shawn McKelvie, President of the Board of Directors for the Kitchener Rangers Hockey Club shared his excitement. “I am very proud to introduce Rangers Reach – a new community organization whose mission is simple – Let’s support the community that has supported the Kitchener Rangers Hockey Club since 1963”
“As we looked into the future we wanted to continue providing community support while maintaining our focus on operating a premiere CHL franchise”, said outgoing COO Steve Bienkowski ‘Based on industry best practices and research into comparable structures we identified that the community fund model would allow us to separate our community support programs from the day to day operations of the hockey club. Staff remain focused on their ultimate responsibility of being the best organization possible for our fans and players and the fund team will continue our long-standing community support legacy and work towards even greater impact for Waterloo Region.”
Rangers Reach – The Kitchener Rangers Community Fund is a non-profit organization governed by a Board of Directors led by inaugural chair, long standing community leader, Tim Jackson. “Along with Lynne Short and Kelly McManus we are proud and excited to be the founding board of Rangers Reach. The Kitchener Rangers has a long tradition of giving back to the community and we are thrilled that this is the next step in formalizing that commitment.”
The fund, established in August 2019, has been incorporated as a non-profit in the province of Ontario and has already begun building its governance and operating structures. Guidelines, processes, and procedures about how to distribute funds, grant committees and request mechanisms are all under development and will be available to the public in early 2021.
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Contact:
Craig Campbell – Executive Director – 519.576.3700 ext. 333