SOMBA K'E/YELLOWKNIFE - Champions for Children announced at a Tuesday evening ceremony that more than $50,000 was raised at its fundraising dinner last year.

Margaret Pawluk, Gail Nesbitt and Kevin Stapleton present a cheque from last year's Champions for Children dinner in Yellowknife at an event held Tuesday to thank last year's sponsors. - Cara Loverock/ NNSL photo

Yellowknife sponsors of the dinner - all local businesses - help raise funds for Kidsport NWT, a charity to provide money for youth in the territory to play sports that otherwise could not afford to.

KidSport was established in the NWT in 2001. The upcoming fundraising dinner will be the third annual dinner in Yellowknife, to be held at the Multiplex on September 13.

Those in attendance on Tuesday evening were informed how they would be helping kids when sponsoring this year's upcoming dinner. The event features raffle prizes - with a grand prize draw for a 2010 Olympics visit package.

RBC announced that they will be partnering with Sport North and donating $165,000 over the next three years, including a sponsorship for the Champions for Children dinner and an annual donation of $25,000 to KidSport.

Also present on Tuesday was two-time Olympic gold medalist Colleen Sostorics. She spoke to a crowd of about 30 on the importance of sports for children.

"We were kids once too, and we wouldn't be in the Olympics if it wasn't for the sports we played when we were young," said Sostorics. She said that financial hardship can exclude kids from sports that keep them fit mentally as well as physically.

Sostorics remarked that sports teach young people "to be part of a team, to learn respect, to abide by rules," helping build self-esteem.

"Everyone in Yellowknife should be part of it."