Each Piece of equipment tells a bigger story

An official competition-level volleyball. A pair of quality kneepads. An antenna that attaches securely to a volleyball net.

These are items many volleyball players never think twice about. Yet for many schools and community organizations, quality volleyball equipment is a luxury they simply can’t afford. In fact, the cost of equipment may affect how many youth get the chance to play.

MYOF’s Community Equipment Fund is designed to change this reality. Its goal is to help remove the financial barriers that many schools and community organizations face as they work to deliver youth development programs despite limited budgets and competing priorities. We believe every child deserves the opportunity to play with proper volleyball equipment—to experience the joy of learning a new sport while building friendships, confidence, and the sense of belonging that sport can provide.

This year, we are proud to announce that the 2026 Community Equipment Fund recipients include: Lester B. Pearson High School, Notre Dame High School, and the Boys and Girls Club (BGC).

Here’s what the Community Equipment Fund made possible in 2026.

These numbers show the impact of this program, but the stories shared by our community partners illustrate why the Community Equipment Fund matters.

Sarah McCaffrey of Lester B. Pearson High School describes the personal impact that receiving this equipment can have on her students.

These contributions may seem like equipment […] on paper, but in reality, they represent belonging, confidence, dignity, opportunity, and access for students who might otherwise go without.

Mark Johnson of Notre Dame High School shares the reality of the financial challenges that many local high schools face as they try to provide the best sport experience for their athletes.

“Since we are the smallest school in our board in terms of student population, we receive the least amount of funding. Our students do not drive, and many of their parents do not either, so the school must cover all transportation costs for sports. We typically exhaust our transportation budget midway through the year and are forced to redirect funds from other budgets—often our equipment budget.”

And, Kim Prescod of BGC Ottawa states how difficult it is for non-profit organizations to service the increasing demand for youth sport programs within our community.

“The main barriers to fully funding our volleyball program include unstable, donation-dependent funding, a free-program model that generates no participant revenue, growing demand that outpaces available resources, limited reserves, staffing and facility constraints, and competing priorities within our broader social mission. Volleyball is a sport that many youth would love the opportunity to learn, grow, and play.

MYOF is honoured to partner with these three incredible organizations as we all strive to create opportunities that empower young people to learn, grow, and thrive through sport.

A special thank you to Duguay VSP for believing in our mission and generously providing charitable pricing on the volleyball equipment purchased through our Community Equipment Fund.

About the Community Equipment Fund:

The Community Equipment Fund began as a pilot project at Gloucester High School in 2025, where MYOF provided quality volleyball equipment for the school’s girls’ volleyball program. The positive impact of that investment inspired the creation of the Community Equipment Fund. Today, organizations are selected through an application process that considers financial need, the youth they serve, and the potential for long-term community impact.

At MYOF, we believe every piece of equipment represents more than volleyball. It represents opportunity, confidence, and belonging. Together with our donors and community partners, we’re ensuring that more young people have the chance to experience the life-changing benefits of sport.

For more information, contact info@maverickyouthfund.ca

Community Equipment Fund: Equipping Communities. Empowering Youth.