The Buenos Aires provincial authority, Instituto Provincial de Lotería y Casinos (IPLyC), in partnership with lottery operator Telekino, handed over a batch of sports equipment to a club in La Plata.
Club For Ever, a neighborhood hockey club, received a donation that included 143 hockey balls, coordination ladders and training cones, covering the day-to-day needs of a club that has struggled to self-fund.
Gonzalo Atanasof, President of the IPLyC, said: "In a context where it's becoming increasingly difficult for many clubs to stay afloat, we like to be present so they can keep going. Supporting and strengthening these spaces that are fundamental to the community and a recreational opportunity for our kids."
Club For Ever competes in the Liga Platense de Hockey and runs seven women's categories, from under-10s through to a first team, with more than 120 players enrolled. The club was founded in 1913 and also offers soccer, taekwondo and a gym at its facilities in the El Mondongo neighborhood.
María Laura Cristante, the club's hockey coordinator, said: "These materials we are receiving for hockey mean a great deal to us, because buying balls, for example, is simply out of reach.
“Fortunately, we have the support of many parents, but we still struggle a lot to participate in the Liga Platense. We make do with raffles to buy equipment or cover travel costs for the players so the whole community can play."
The handover falls under a standing agreement between Lotería de la Provincia and Telekino aimed at backing community and sporting activity at neighborhood clubs across the province.
Argentina’s provincial lotteries regularly allocate part of their proceeds to social initiatives, cultural programs and community infrastructure
