Jordan Sidoo, Warren Moon, & Dylan Sidoo

On July 23^rd, 2015 Jordan and Dylan Sidoo joined Pro Football Hall of Fame inductee and nine-time Pro Bowl selection Warren Moon on the mound at Angels’ Stadium in Anaheim, California. The Sidoo brothers were celebrating this year’s Crescent Moon Foundation Scholarship award winners and the recently formed partnership between Sidoo Family Giving and the Crescent Moon Foundation.

Jordan and Dylan, who head up Sidoo Family Giving, have always been deeply committed to help enhance the lives of those less fortunate in their home town of Vancouver, BC, Canada. They come by it honestly, as their parents, David and Manjy Sidoo, have set a strong example of community leadership and stewardship through their many philanthropic endeavors in their Lower Mainland community.

Their strong sense of obligation to give back to their community in Canada has grown international wings as the brothers have led the charge in partnering with the Crescent Moon Foundation to help youth in America as well.

The Crescent Moon Foundation Scholarship Award Winners, Jordan Sidoo, Dylan Sidoo and Warren Moon.

The Crescent Moon Foundation is a logical strategic partner for Sidoo Family Giving, as both organizations share a very similar mission:

Established in 1989, the Crescent Moon Foundation is a non-profit organization dedicated to providing support for educational pursuits that will benefit children most in need who have displayed a commitment to their community, as well as other charitable causes. As part of the Crescent Moon Foundation’s mission, the Rising Moon Scholarship Program awards ten scholarships of up to $5,000 annually to students that demonstrate a commitment to their community, excel in leadership and academics, and who are in need.

“My mother taught me at a young age the importance of giving back,” said Moon, a Los Angeles native and Washington Huskies alum. “Unfortunately, not all kids today have someone guiding them or providing them with the means for success. It is my sincere hope the Crescent Moon Foundation can assist in that regard.”

For more information on the Crescent Moon Foundation: http://www.crescentmoonfoundation.org/

Additional photos of the California event can be seen at the Crescent Moon Foundation Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/HWarrenMoon1

Goldie Dhillon – Director – Team Punjabi/Executive Director – Prime Televsion, David Sidoo and Kulwinder (Kal) Dosanjh – VPD Detective.

David Sidoo, a highly decorated athlete in university and professional football, has never forgotten his roots and is extremely dedicated to promoting youth in sport within his community in Vancouver, BC and the surrounding area.

Recently David was recognized by two different organizations for his contributions to athletics.

Goldie Dhillon, Director of Team Punjabi and Executive Director of Prime Television awarded David the Sports Life Time Achievment Award on behalf of the Kidsplay Foundation for his contribution to the sport of football as a South East Asian. David had a memorable 5-year career with the UBC Thunderbirds, including captaining the team to its 1982 Vanier Cup victory. He went on to be the first Indo-Canadian to play in the CFL and spent five years with the Saskatchewan Roughriders and one year with the BC Lions.

Kids Play is a non profit organization working towards keeping kids away from the lifestyle of drugs, gangs, and violence. Kids Play holds sports tournaments, conferences, and other projects for the youth community to learn about the opportunities they can seize within life. The organization is operated by leaders from all across the Lower Mainland wanting to bring a positive change within the community. Kids Play believes their work will allow the youth to discover the potential they have within themselves to reach greater heights in any aspect of life.

For more information about Kids Play visit www.kidsplayfoundation.com

Kulwinder (Kal) Dosanjh – VPD Detective and Councillor Candidate for the City of Surrey, BC – was on hand to present David with the Vancouver Police Athletic League Youth Soccer Tournament Sponsor Recognition Trophy. Each year the Vancouver Police Athletic League (PAL) organizes a soccer tournament for children attending elementary schools in the Downtown Eastside and East Vancouver. In 2015 close to 1000 children participated. These events wouldn’t be possible without the support of many sponsors and community partners, including David Sidoo.

The Vancouver Police Athletic League (PAL) is a youth crime prevention initiative that uses athletic, recreational and educational programs as a tool to foster positive rapport and mutual trust between police officers and youth.

The objectives of PAL are:

• to provide a safe and supervised environment for kids, giving them an opportunity to work with police officers, who serve as positive role models
• to introduce after-school activities that are coordinated, coached and taught to local youths by police officers
• to promote integrity, respect, fairness and the development of a positive self-image.
• to assist and encourage youths to become involved in community sports and activities
• to enhance self-esteem and motivation
• to promote the learning of successful interpersonal and other skills that help prevent youth crime

For more information about the Vancouver Police Athletic League (PAL) visit vancouver.ca/police/community-policing/youth-outreach/police-athletic-league.html

David and Manjy Sidoo’s eldest son, Dylan Sidoo, recently contributed $5000 to support the Vancouver Police Department’s Police Athletic League (PAL) program that provides opportunities for disadvantaged youth to participate in organized athletic events.

The Police Athletic League creates an environment for youth from lower socioeconomic backgrounds to learn and develop sportsmanship, teamwork and leadership skills. The community-oriented programs provide positive peer interactions, opportunities to develop problem-solving skills and exposure to supportive adult role models.

The PAL program is run by a member of the Vancouver Police Department and has a number of events scheduled for 2015, including a large-scale wrestling and weightlifting competition for provincial, national and international competitors; soccer tournaments; indoor basketball tournament; and a field hockey tournament.

Dylan’s contribution to the events will help to provide monetary awards, trophies, equipment and manpower to run each tournament. More than 2000 youth will be positively impacted by these events.

We wish the very best to everyone involved in the Vancouver Police Department’s long standing and valuable PAL program!

See media coverage of this donation here

David Sidoo during his playing days at UBC. Photo courtesy UBC Athletics.

On September 24, 2014 David Sidoo learned that he would be inducted into the BC Football Hall of Fame as this year’s recipient of the prestigious CFL Bob Ackles Award.  Sponsored by the CFL, the Bob Ackles Award is given annually for outstanding contribution to Canadian Football.

Bob Ackles was the founder of the BC Football Hall of Fame and had devoted more than 50 years of his life to football in British Columbia before he died in 2008. The highly revered and decorated champion for football in BC dreamt of creating the BC Football Hall of Fame as a legacy to honour football heroes past, present and future.

“The vision of the British Columbia Football Hall of Fame is to recognize individuals who positively influence the sport of football in British Columbia, and to honour football heroes past and present.”

David and the fifteen other inductees in categories including Athlete, Builder, Pioneer, Team, Media and Special Award will be officially inducted in a private ceremony on October 11, 2014. Fans will have a chance to salute the entire 2014 Class that same night as part of the Amateur Football halftime at the BC Lions vs. Ottawa Redblacks game at BC Place Stadium.

This is David’s second induction into the BC Football Hall of Fame. In 2012, David was inducted as part of the legendary 1982 UBC Thunderbirds Football team.

For more information about Bob Ackles, the BC Football Hall of Fame and the 2014 class of inductees, visit bcfootballhalloffame.com

Congratulations, David!

Jordan Sidoo Wins The Province Newspaper’s 2014 Head of the Class Adversity Award

Jordan Sidoo’s passion for giving back to his community has become more and more evident as he continues to develop into an admirable young man. On this website we have focused often on his drive and determination to ensure that local children have food in their bellies and safe places to play while at school. Jordan has always been very humble about his accomplishments and prefers to maintain focus on those whom he strives to support.

For that reason it may come as a surprise then to learn that Jordan faced enormous physical challenges from the moment he was born. From an early age Jordan showed incredible grit and determination to overcome those challenges and become a respected competitor in the athletics program at St George’s School that will soon lead to further competition at the NCAA level.

Jordan’s perseverance and grit were evident to those around him and earlier this year he was nominated for The Province newspaper’s Head of the Class Adversity Award. After two weeks of voting wrapped up last month, the results were announced today: Jordan won!

As part of the awards announcement, Jordan’s in-depth profile was published in The Province’s online sports blog today, revealing from his perspective the challenges he faced as an athlete in his youth. Jordan shared that he was born with the most severe case of club feet that the hospital had seen, and that he persevered through surgeries, braces and physio to not only recover, but to clock a 12 second 100m dash by the time he was 12. Through a series of events Jordan eventually was asked to become the cox for St George’s School rowing team. And after four years of excelling in that role, Jordan will be going to one of the NCAA’s top rowing programs at the University of California-Berkeley.

The Adversity Award is part of The Province’s annual Head of the Class section in which it highlights some of British Columbia’s most accomplished athletes. Each year the Head of the Class Reader’s Choice Awards accept nominations for Coach of the Year and for the Adversity Award. Nominees of the Adversity Award are Grade 12 students who, according to The Province, “were to have shown a positive attitude and determination in overcoming extraordinary personal challenges.”

Jordan Sidoo

This year’s four finalists, including Jordan, were chosen from those submissions by The Province editorial department. The Province then turned the voting over to its readership.

Jordan’s brief bio was posted on The Province Head of the Class website along with the other finalists for consideration by the public:

Jordan Sidoo – St. George’s School
Born with severe club feet, Sidoo of Vancouver’s St. George’s School, defied the odds of his doctors to excel at three sports. In 10th grade he broke his arm in three places playing basketball but has since rebounded, joining the school’s rowing team as a coxswain. Sidoo was recently accepted to join the rowing program at prestigious Cal-Berkeley, which annually resides near the top of the NCAA rankings.

After two weeks of open online voting, the numbers were tallied and the results announced today. Read the full story.

Congratulations on your accomplishment Jordan!

Sidoo Family Giving Sponsors Breakfast Club

On Monday May 14, 2012, David Sidoo and Manjy Sidoo joined a number of smiling young faces at the Strathcona Community Centre to present on behalf of Sidoo Family Giving a $20000 donation to the Breakfast Club programs offered there. The Vancouver Sun newspaper’s Adopt a School program matched the Sidoo Family Giving donation.

The breakfast program at Queen Alexandra School and Strathcona Community Centre feed a healthy breakfast 200 of Vancouver inner-city children – and family members if needed – who go to school in the morning with empty stomachs.

Sidoo Family Giving has already actively sponsored Breakfast Clubs at David Sidoo’s alma mater New Westminster Secondary School in New Westminster, BC. In late 2011, Manjy Sidoo read an article in the Vancouver Sun’s Adopt-a-School series that detailed Queen Alexandra School and its needs. “The story just spoke to me. The programs there are so important to maintain and I said to David ‘this is a school I want to help as well as Strathcona,” said Manjy.

In the 14 years that the breakfast program offered out of the Strathcona Community Centre has been running, the number of children being fed has almost tripled.

David Sidoo was initially shocked to learn that children in his own backyard are going to school without a nutritious – or any – meal in the morning. “We all need to know this. We have to keep it in our conscience…” said David.

It can make an incredible difference in a child’s life to have a nutritious meal each morning. And it’s David and Manjy Sidoo’s hope that others will follow their lead and take action to support local breakfast clubs in their backyard.

Sidoo Family Giving – David Sidoo and Manjy Sidoo

Jordan Sidoo has developed a passion to create awareness for and change in the lives of the thousands of children in British Columbia who go to school hungry each morning. Jordan believes very strongly that breakfast is the most important meal of the day, and especially so for school age children whose classroom studies demand clarity and focus for several hours each day.

For more than a year Jordan has been working hard to raise money and awareness for the breakfast club programs operating in schools throughout the lower mainland. Last year he created a website, breakfast-club.ca, as a means to create awareness and raise money by selling pen and pencil sets online. Since Christmas 2013, Jordan has raised $8700 via the website alone, and every dollar is going to support breakfast clubs in the lower mainland.

On April 9, 2014, Jordan presented a cheque for $3000 to the New Westminster Secondary School Breakfast Club program. NWSS is the alma mater of Jordan’s father, David Sidoo, and his uncle, Paul. The donated funds will provide 3000 breakfasts to NWSS students over the course of one year.

The impact of this is not lost on Jordan, who feels very blessed with his family, friends and lot in life. According to Jordan’s father, David, “President Clinton would say, ‘To those whom much has been given much is expected.’ Although Jordan has had his share of adversity he learns from the down times, works hard and gives back.”

Simply put, if Jordan can help one child to have a better life, it’s all worth it.

Jordan Sidoo holds a thank-you card next to his dad, David, and other kids in front of the new playground at Lord Selkirk Annex.

Six months after being inspired to raise funds to install a new playground at Lord Selkirk Annex elementary school, Jordan Sidoo was invited to cut the ribbon to officially deem the playground open for play.  On June 18^th, Jordan and his father, David Sidoo, joined the excited schoolchildren on the playground to commemorate the opening. Some children were so excited they cried tears of joy.

As reported earlier, Jordan sold pen and pencil sets to raise $6000 of the $7800 required to install the equipment that was to replace an ageing and condemned wooden structure in the school’s playground. The Sidoo family contributed the remaining $1800 to make the new playground dream a reality.

The playground will be well loved by the kindergarten through grade 4 students. “It’s fantastic to see all these kids so excited,” commented David.

Read more here.

Sidoo Family Giving – David Sidoo and Manjy Sidoo
www.sidoofamilygiving.com
Sidoo Family Giving Facebook Page
Twitter.com/David_Sidoo

David Sidoo and VPD Constable Kal Dosanjh at a soccer tournament for the inner city youth of Vancouver.

As a former pro athlete whose life was changed by sports at a pivotal age, David Sidoo understands the value of athletics in the life of a youth…especially an inner city youth.

On the weekend of May 25, 2013, David was delighted to attend and support the Vancouver Police Department Soccer Tournament for Inner City Youth. More than 500 kids participated in the event, which was organized by the VPD Athletic League and Detective Kal Dosanjh.

From the Link Paper article, Dosanjh is quoted as saying, “David is an example of what sports can do, being the first Indo-Canadian professional football player,” Dosanjh said. “David would agree with me that by engaging the youth in a sporting activity it will provide them with a positive outlet, provide them an opportunity to develop self esteem, provide an environment which facilitates personal growth and promotes learning to work well with others in a team setting. This program is designed to develop a strong connection with youth at any early age, so that a sense of community, safety and integrity become well entrenched values.”

There are many wonderful programs to engage youth in sports…why not check into opportunities in your community and see how you can make a difference too!

Sidoo Family Giving – David Sidoo and Manjy Sidoo

Surrey MLA Dave Hayer presenting Jordan Sidoo with a BC Certificate of Appreciation

David and Manjy Sidoo are dedicated philanthropists whose passion for giving back to their community has not been lost on their sons.

Through a number of community initiatives, 16 year old Jordan Sidoo has tirelessly worked to create awareness and give back to the community he calls home. From raising funds to replace the equipment in a local school’s playground to Street-to-Home foundation, and from the Sidoo-supported Breakfast Club initiative to We Day, Jordan maintains a clear focus on community service in addition to being an honour roll student at St George’s School.

The young man’s efforts have not gone unnoticed as he was recently each awarded a Certificate of Appreciation by Surrey MLA Dave Hayer, on behalf of the Provincial Government of British Columbia.

Congratulations, Jordan…you are truly an inspiration to the next generation of philanthropists!

http://www.darpanmagazine.com/2013/04/bc-youth-receives-government-honour/
http://thelinkpaper.ca/?p=28194
http://www.vancouverdesi.com/news/teen-embraces-vaisakhi-spirit-and-does-something-tangible/536624/