Maple Ridge and Pitt Meadows’ largest sporting organization is committed to providing a caring, friendly, and safe environment for all their players and families.

Ridge Meadows Soccer Club are making that commitment visible by printing their own pink shirts for the upcoming anti-bullying day on Feb. 24.

Club president Mike Savignano said safety is one of the core values of the club.

“We can only achieve this if we collectively work towards the eradication of bullying and harassment for all participants – not only within our club, but also in the surrounding areas where our youth and adult members live and play,” he said.

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The pink shirts feature the club’s logo in the centre of a seeding dandelion.

The seeds are made up of little stick figures, which represent the club’s members spreading kindness.

Operations manager, Shauna Williams, said staff coaches, admin employees, and board members will be provided with the shirts when printed.

They are also asking for members to wear their own pink shirts to show solidarity.

She also noted RMSC will be accepting online donations, as well as contributing as a club, to the Pink Shirt Day charity.

In addition to the contributions, Savignano explains how important it is to exemplify the anti-bullying message.

“If bullying does occur, all club members or parents are encouraged to tell someone about it, without any fear of it impacting their place in our club,” he said.

“Again this ties in to the importance of safety – it must feel safe to speak up.

“We recognize we have a role to play in educating parents, players and the community at large about the importance of safety and respect for everyone – both on the field and off.

“We’re taking this responsibility seriously, and we are honoured to be able to support Pink Shirt Day in raising awareness around this important cause.

“Not only for one day, or one week, but every day.”

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