Come Fly With Ryan Blais
Ryan Blais is an Albertan althlete born and raised in Grande Prairie. He started skiing at age 12, and joined freestyle skiing at the relatively late age of 18. Now 29, he is currently a member of the Canadian Freestyle Ski Team, Aerials with 7 World Cup podiums and 2 World Cup wins. He is currently in training for the 2010 Olympic winter games in Vancouver 2008.
To see Ryan in action watch Sportsnet's feature on Ryan below [or on youtube]
Ryan is a big supporter of the community, and is involved in several organizations. He is a member of the Rotary Club, and is spokesperson/ ambassador for KidSport Grande Prairie. Ryan believes in Community Foundations, and has founded the Come Fly With Me Foundation at the Grande Prairie and District Community Foundation.
Ryan's Community Involvement
To learn more about the Come Fly With Me Foundation, read the article below or watch Ryans introduction [also on you tube]
Giving Back
May, 2007 - Grande Prairie's Olympic hopeful, Ryan Blais, not only believes in giving back to the community with his Come Fly With Me Foundation, but is also looking to instill that same philosophy in the area's up and coming young athletes.
The first component of the Come Fly With Me Foundation is to provide financial assistance to the development level of amateur athletes in Grande Prairie and area. Blais explains, "as soon as young athletes start to demonstrate potential at the provincial level and show that they are committed to moving toward the elite level stream of sport, we want to provide support to help make that happen". The second component is to provide subsidies for athletes to access specific sports related programs and services. "One of the things the Foundation identified early on was the need to make essential performance enhancing sports services like sports nutrition, strength training and physical testing, available to amateur athletes. The catch is that the athletes have to pay for these services," said Blais. To accomplish this goal, Blais has formed a partnership with the Alberta Sports Development Centre based out of the Grande Prairie Regional College which offers amateur athletes many of these same services.
Blais also feels that it is equally important for the athletes to give back to the community. "Our aim is to support the long term goals of athletes from an early stage but at the same time teach them the importance of supporting the community that helped them to achieve those goals," he said in regard to the third component of the Come Fly With Me Foundation. "We will establish community partnerships with a number of community service leaders and these partnerships will enable us to provide ways for the athletes to give back to their communities," he said. Most of the athletes involved in the Foundation will be young and likely inexperienced regarding community involvement, so Blais' plan is to give them a roadmap to facilitate the process. "The goal is to provide all funded and/or subsidized athletes with a comprehensive list of volunteer organizations and opportunities. They would then choose where they would like to become involved and make a commitment regarding their active participation whether it be canvassing for the Canadian Cancer Society, becoming involved in school-run literacy or mentoring programs or anything in between. We are going to be creating a lot more opportunities for athletes to give back in meaningful ways," he promises.
"We are excited and honoured to be a part of the legacy of this amazing man. His drive and determination have not only led to his athletic successes, but have also established him as a positive force in our community," said Keith Curtis, Chairman of the Community Foundation of Greater Grande Prairie.
From the Community Foundation of Grande Prairie web site, success stories http://www.buildingtomorrowtoday.com/SuccessStory.asp?ID=22, Accessed June 20 2008
Blais, a member of the National Freestyle Ski Team, established the Come Fly With Me Foundation in November of last year. The endowment fund was created with $10,000 of Ryan's own funds and a commitment of $50,000 from Canadian Tire over a four year period. The interest earned on the fund will be used to support amateur athletes in the Greater Grande Prairie area but the principal will remain intact thereby ensuring ongoing support in this area. "It feels great knowing that I can help support future athletes and participate in something that will continue on forever" said Blais. The fund is held at the Community Foundation of Greater Grande Prairie.
Updated February 2009
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