Letter from Byrne Creek Community School & Rugby Program

Dear Canadian Rugby Foundation,

On behalf of the Byrne Creek Community School, and the Byrne Creek rugby program we
would like to express our sincere gratitude for your support with the start up of a rugby program
at the school.

Through your generous contribution we were able to make the sport of rugby accessible
to 28 youth this past fall, during our bantam season of play. Those 28 youth made the district
finals in their first year, narrowly losing out to local rivals Burnaby south. In addition to the fall,
we have close to 80 athletes who have expressed interest in participating on the junior and senior
rugby teams this spring. The donation from the Canadian Rugby Foundation went towards the
purchase of playing kit for the program and its participants.

As background for your donors, Byrne Creek Community School is located in the Edmonds
neigbourhood of South Burnaby. It is very much an “inner-city school”. Many of Byrne Creek’s
students are refugees new to Canada from countries such as Syria, Afghanistan, Sudan, Ghana,
Tibet, and many more places. Many others, who are local, have their own problems that they
struggle with outside of school. A large portion of the demographic falls under the category of
being low-income households, where extra-curriculars such as sports are not a possibility without
the financial aid of organizations like yours. Rugby has had a phenomenal impact for the students
of Byrne Creek, especially for our more at-risk youth.

Once again, thank you for your generous support! It has been the catalyst needed to get
rugby off the ground at Byrne Creek and ensure that it is a sustainable athletic offering at the
school moving forward. Without your support the close to 100 youth would not have had access
to the sport of rugby which we all know and love. The future of rugby is bright at Byrne Creek!

Regards,

Mr. Moreno Stefanon
Byrne Creek Chemistry & Sciences Teacher
Byrne Creek Boys Rugby Coach
BCSSRU Vice President & Lower Mainland Zone Representative
Moreno.Stefanon@burnabyschools.ca

Canadian Rugby Foundation Thank You Letter (original in .pdf format)

Posted in Newsletter.