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 inner-city sewers’ business acumen, capacity, and skills-building by greatly contributing to their confidence and ability to complete sewing projects in a timely and efficient manner.

The City donated 730 used Olympic roadside banners for use as sewing material to create sports bags for donation to inner city school children. Twenty sewers were involved in sewing the sports bags, which were later distributed to inner-city elementary schools.

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 (Mount Pleasant, the Downtown South, and the Downtown Eastside); engaging kids in activities and awarding them with Olympic / Paralympic legacy sports bags.

Approximately 1,100 sports bags were distributed to elementary schools situated in inner-city neighbourhoods from October – December 2009. Bags were filled with useful school, healthy living, and sporting supplies. Items found in each bag were generously donated by the following partnering organisations:

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