Imagine a world-class track facility right here in Sarnia-Lambton, available to students and athletes from across our community. The St. Clair Catholic District School Board (SCCDSB) and Conseil Scolaire Catholique (CSC) Providence have embarked on the first leg of this exciting journey, and we are inviting members of the community to join us as partners in this community initiative.

On behalf of our school boards, we are reaching out to request a grant or donation for amounts up to $1 million, which would support the development of an upgraded track and field, located at St. Patrick’s Catholic High School. The track will meet the needs of the boards’ schools and the Sarnia-Lambton community at large.

“The purpose of the fundraising initiative is to allow for community investment in a physical activity space that will provide athletes and students from across Sarnia-Lambton with a first-rate facility that will allow them to compete at local and provincial levels,” says Amy Janssens, Associate Director and Treasurer of the Board. “The track and field will be available to the wider community through Community Use of School bookings and the facility will be fully accessible to persons of all abilities.”

SCCDSB is investing $1.07 million to upgrade the current track, while seeking additional funding to enhance the project. CSC Providence is contributing an amount which represents seven percent of the total cost – a calculation based on student enrolment according to an agreement between the two boards.

“This is an opportunity for our community to come together to support young athletes from across Sarnia-Lambton,” says Carolyn Bastien, Interim Director of Education from CSC Providence. “We are excited to be part of this worthy venture.”

On a day-to-day basis, the track and field area is used by the St. Patrick’s Catholic High School and St. Francis Xavier High School for the schools’ physical health curricula. The in-field of the track is also used for soccer at the high school level. Elementary students access the track and field space for the annual Lambton Sports Council track and field event in June. The sports council provides athletic events for elementary schools from SCCDSB as well as CSC Providence and Christian schools in the Sarnia-Lambton area. With three elementary schools within close proximity to the proposed track area, the space will be used by these schools as well on a more regular basis, once the upgrade has been completed.

Enhancements that rely on additional external grants and donations include:

• An upgraded polyurethane track surface, which provides improved safety, increased performance and better durability. These surfaces produce outstanding shock absorption and are the right balance between soft and hard;
• Upgrading the colour of the track from the base colour to green, which incorporates both the colour of the St. Patrick Catholic High School logo, as well as the colour of the providence’s Franco-Ontarian flag;
• Electrical and wifi services, as well as a finish line camera, speakers and sound system;
• Track and field items such as blocks, hurdles, high jump mats, long jump and triple jump take-off boxes, shot put landing area and new shot put circle, and movable soccer goal posts to support the use of the field during the off-season for track and field;
• Bleachers;
• An artificial turf field, which is more durable than grass and allows broader access and play time to sports all year round; and
• A water Bottle filling station.

The St. Clair District Catholic Education Foundation accepts, tracks and distributes all grants and donations received by the Board, so donors can be assured the funds provided are used for their intended purposes.

“We look forward to a successful community fundraiser in support of this project, which will have lasting benefits for generations of young athletes from across Sarnia-Lambton,” says Mrs. Janssens.