Sew A Legacy: Olympic & Paralympic Sports Bag Production & Sustainable Business Plan

The City of Vancouver worked with EMBERS, an inner-city social enterprise, to foster the business acumen, capacity, and skills building of inner-city women through sewing projects.

The City donated 730 used Olympic roadside banners to be sewn by 20 inner-city women into sports bags that were donated to school children.

The Vancouver Park Board’s Active Communities Initiative, 2010 Legacies Now’s “Sports Fit” Program and the Vancouver School Board collaborated to promote healthy living, sports, and fitness in inner-city elementary schools by engaging kids in activities and awarding them with Olympic / Paralympic legacy sports bags.

Approximately 1,100 sports bags were distributed to inner-city elementary schools in late 2009. Bags were filled with useful school, healthy living, and sporting supplies. Items were generously donated by:

• BC Dairy Foundation
• ActNow BC
• The City of Vancouver Parks Board
• Mills Basics
• Action Schools
• The City of Vancouver
• Health Canada
• Legacies 2010

This project led to the formation of Common Thread, a Vancouver-based non-profit cooperative that matches customers with social enterprises that make sewing products. Participating sewers receive basic skills training, access to a sewing workshop, and develop the business acumen and confidence necessary for future sewing business ventures.

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