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“Did you ever think Free Play for Kids would get this big?” That’s a question I get asked a lot.

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Today, we reach more than 4,500 kids and their families every year. We employ 150 part-time staff. We run programs in as many as 50 locations at the same time.

All of this grew from one small moment back in 2007 — 20 kids at McCauley School just wanting to kick a ball around after class.

From the very beginning, the Edmonton Oilers Community Foundation (EOCF) believed in that vision — that sport could be a tool for belonging, growth, and community. Thanks to their early support and the Oilers 50/50 raffle, that simple dream became what Free Play is today.

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