The renovation of the Terry Fox Athletic Facility is both a great relief for athletes and symbol of hope for the future of athletics in Eastern Ontario.  After years of band-aid repairs, the facility is now getting a complete face lift, which will include low energy and profile high illumination field lights, IOC standard jumping runways and pits, a sound system and portable four-colour scoreboard,  and last, but not least, a new Super-X performance Mondo 400 metre track.  If there is such a thing as track and field heaven in Canada, it exists in Ottawa at the Terry Fox Athletic Facility.

Most of these structures and fixtures are already in place as the long, mild fall allowed construction to proceed ahead of schedule.  If the weather continues to cooperate in the spring, the facility will be ready for the Bank of America Elementary School Classic on June 16th. 
Encouraging as this progress is, it was but a few short months ago that the very existence of the Facility was in question.  In response to this threat, the Ottawa Lions honed a strategy to ensure that we would not only have a training facility, but that it would be the best one in Canada.  Political connections were accessed, grassroots organizing was implemented and the judicious use of technology was applied.  As luck would have it, advantage was gained when the Governments of Ontario and Canada announced that funding would be available for “third” party organizations that had infrastructure projects that needed upgrading or renovating.  With only a week to prepare the proposal, the staff at the Lions, former athletes all, reminded themselves of that most famous of motivational expressions for athletes, “When the going gets tough, the tough get going”.  By September 2009, in what will surely be one of the most dramatic come-from-behind victories, the Ottawa Lions snatched victory from the jaws of defeat.

While the sum of the contributions by the Federal, Provincial and Municipal governments , half of which come from the feds and the province, account for the lion’s share of the funding for the renovation project. The “Lions’ share” nevertheless amounts to just short of $383,000.  Not an insurmountable amount, but regardless a challenging one.  It represents almost half of our yearly budget and that includes memberships, timing, meet registration and administration fees.  Seen from the perspective of the athletes that amount would enable 50 athletes (the usual number that travel to out of town track meets) to attend ten track meets at an average cost of $200 dollars per athlete. Half of which is usually subsidized by the Lions.

The new facility is not just a victory for the Ottawa Lions. It is a victory for the 20,000 athletes that use this track and field facility every year. It is a victory for the City of Ottawa, which can continue to provide the kind of services and opportunities that make Ottawa the blessed place it is to live. It is a victory for the future of track and field in Eastern Ontario, which will help produce national, international and Olympic athletes.  But most importantly it is a victory for the health of our children who will continue to take advantage of summer athletics programs that will help them build strong and healthy bodies and minds. Strong bodies and minds give hope to this city and this country.
Over the coming months we will be rolling out different fundraising strategies. There will be major gifts campaigns as well as small albeit equally important donation opportunities.  Your donation of $35, $50, $75 or $125 donation is as welcome to our fundraising effort as any larger amount . It adds up and every bit counts.

We need help to fund our part of this renovation effort.  The Ottawa Lions need to raise $384,000.

You can be a part of your children’s victory by making a tax deductible contribution. 

Thank you for your continued support and your interest in your children’s health and wellbeing.

From all of us at the Ottawa Lions Track and Field Club all the best for the Holidays and a happy, prosperous and successful New Year.