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Our Team

  • Kiran Toor

    Founder & President

    Kiran has her Education degree from Simon Fraser University. She is the President of KidsPlay Foundation. This organization has been working towards the improvement of society by preventing children and youth from getting involved with drugs and gangs since 2015 and is an integral part of Kiran’s life. Over 75,000 youth have gone through numerous free programs provided by the organization.

    Kiran and the team are hoping to keep a positive trend of motivation through sports for the youth of the Lower Mainland. Kiran has spent thousands of hours volunteering to protect her community. Her work for her community has been recognized by various organizations and she has been represented as one of the top leaders in the Lower Mainland.

  • Amit Punni

    Team Member – BC

    Amit Punni, currently volunteering with Kidsplay since 2015, He has graduated from North Delta Secondary in 2019 and is now studying Criminology at Douglas College, headed into BC Corrections. He has put countless hours of hard work with Kidsplay, doing the best he can to serve and give back to the community. He has dedicated his free time to helping Kidsplay reach their goals. Without the leadership, mentorship, and guidance from founder of Kidsplay foundation Kal Dosanjh, it wouldn’t be possible for Amit to reach his goals. It has made a huge positive impact on Amit’s life and has made him who he is today.

    Amit has used Kal’s teachings and has applied them to an after school program where he mentored underprivileged children and showed them we are here for them. Amit has seen many children headed towards a very unsuccessful future and wants to turn that around and show them there are better ways to make it better in life. Amit has worked alongside other volunteers to organize sporting events representing Kidsplay foundation. Amit wants to be a symbol of hope and guidance some day just like Kal.

  • Maheep Nagra

    Team Member – BC

    Maheep Nagra is a senior volunteer with KidsPlay foundation. He was born and raised up in Surrey. He has finished his Diploma in criminology from Kwantlen Polytechnic University, and is pursuing on to attain his degree. Maheep has been volunteering since 2018 and has been a vital part ever since. He realized the importance of mentoring and educating youth because they are the next generation. 

    Maheep noticed there was a lack of mentorship given to children, and was fast to act, he then became the leader of a middle school mentorship program in Langley, BC of 25 kids. His goal was to teach good values and ensure the kids had someone to look upto. Maheep has run numerous events, varying from sports to organizing big scale forums. Maheep sees the importance of being a role model within the community.

    He truly believes getting involved within the community, will bring positive change. He gets very passionate seeing youth change for the better. Maheep, has intentions of becoming a police officer one day and making a difference within the youth and community shows the desire to make change for the better. 

  • Manney Nahal

    Team Member – BC

    Manney is a senior volunteer with Kids Play, he joined our team in 2019. He joined because he wanted to help kids stay on the right path of life instead of being caught up with drugs and gangs. Manney is attending the University of the Fraser Valley to complete his Criminal Justice Diploma. He joined Kids Play because he saw the amount of violence that was continuing in his own community in Abbotsford.

    He saw too many young kids getting into the gang lifestyle because they did not have proper guidance. Manney’s first event with Kids Play was “Labelled: Caught in the Crossfire” in Abbotsford. He saw the impact this event had on the community and he realized how Kids Play was helping initiate change. It was from there on that Manney became heavily involved. He has helped with numerous events throughout his time with Kids Play. Manney believes change starts from somewhere and Kids Play is that change.

  • Gagan Bhullar

    Team Member – BC

    Gagan Bhullar is currently a Kwantlen Polytechnic University student. He has been with Kidsplay for almost three years, and his favorite event was the two-week summer camp held for kids during the pandemic. It encouraged them to get out and socialize with others. He is proud to be a part of Kidsplay to present such activities to the youth. Rather than being trapped at home all day, many children attended our Surrey and Abbotsford camps.

    Another thing he likes about kidsplay is organizing food drives, toy drives, and always helping anyone in need. He now works at the BC immigration holding center, soon to pursue a career in law enforcement. Kidsplay has helped him grow as a person and taught him to be grateful for what he has and to always give back. Gagan is also captain of the Kidsplay Bhangra team.

  • Jasraj Toor

    Team Member – BC

    Jasraj Toor has been volunteering with KidsPlay Foundation since 2015, and has helped organize mentorship programs in Surrey along with being a part of sports tournaments and educational forums.

  • Jasmyne Bhatti

    Team Member – BC

    Jasmyne Bhatti is currently in her last year of highschool and will soon be attending BCIT for architecture. She has been volunteering with KidsPlay foundation since 2017. The first event she attended was the baseball tournament and has been providing an excellent service to her community since then. She is very passionate about nature and has led tree planting events alongside other volunteers. This event helped her create connections within her community and strengthen her leadership skills.

    One of her favourite initiatives was the summer camp in 2020 during the global pandemic. She was able to connect with the youth in her community and provide a safe and powerful outlet for them to participate in. As much as she has taught the youth of the summer camp she learned just as much from them. Jasmyne is very thankful and blessed for all the opportunities Kids Play Foundation has given her.

  • Hanna Dhillon

    Team Member – BC

    Hanna Dhillon is currently enrolled at the University of the Fraser Valley studying Kinesiology. Hanna has been a volunteer with the Kids Play Youth Foundation since 2017 working alongside many others to give back to the community through a variety of different types of events.  One of the first events she attended was the first annual Youth Kabaddi World Cup Tournament. Being an athlete who participates in combat sports, she was interested in participating in this tournament and many others held by Kids Play.

    This event helped her meet many amazing people on the Kids Play team and in her community. The open and welcoming atmosphere of Kids Play Foundation drew her to attend more events. Without attending this event she believes she would not have received the opportunities that came with being apart of KidsPlay, being able to engage and give back to her community.

  • Vivek Dullat

    Team Member – BC

    Vivek Dullat is currently in his last year of high school at Tamanawis Secondary and will be attending Kwantlen polytechnic university for business.  Vivek was born in Calgary and partially grew up there before moving to Surrey in his adolescence. One of the first events Vivek attended was the baseball tournament in 2017. He has been a member of Kidsplay for 4 years and has his fondest memory at the organization at the 2020 summer camp. It was one of his best memories because he got to bring joy to children in his community during a tough time.

    He has grown massively as a person throughout the years and has developed stronger leadership and communication skills. Along with other volunteers, he has put together an environmental chapter in kidsplay foundation and plans to grow it. Vivek is thankful for the opportunity Kidsplay foundation has given him and is excited for what’s in store for the future.

  • Amandeep Gill

    Team Member – BC

    Amandeep Gill has been a volunteer with the KidsPlay Foundation since 2017. While volunteering with KidsPlay, Amandeep has gotten the chance to work with many great individuals that also strive to give back to the community. Influential mentors like Kal Dosanjh have helped Amandeep push himself to greater heights. One of his most memorable times being a volunteer with KidsPlay came from helping in the 2020 summer camps.

    Many children were not involved in activities for quite some time due to COVID-19 and the KidsPlay camps were many children’s first exposure to such activities in a long time. Helping with the camps was not only fun for the children involved but was fun for him as well. Being able to work with youth and putting them on the right track is something Amandeep finds important and satisfying. This is because he believes that the youth hold the key to bettering the future and we must help forge them into the best versions of themselves in order to assure a bright future.

  • Mia Skoone Gill

    Team Member – BC

    Mia Gill leads within Abbotsford, and is a high school student attending Abbotsford Senior Secondary School. Pursuing a future in public affairs, Mia serves as an active liaise between youth and government. Her zeal for civic engagement led her to Kids Play Foundation where she’s been volunteering since the summer of 2020. Understanding the turbulence many kids face amid organized crime, Mia hopes to encourage and facilitate a better environment for youth as a volunteer. Enthusiastic for what lies ahead, Mia cannot wait to keep innovating and supporting her community.

  • Akanksha Gopal

    Team Member – BC

    Akanksha Gopal is currently enrolled at Panorama Ridge Secondary School studying in grade 12, planning to further pursue her studies in Business. Akanksha has been a part of Kids Plays Foundation since 2018. She is very passionate about the work that she puts in for Kids Play. One of her favourite events is the Summer Camp 2020. Through this camp she got to interact with many other youth and helped her build her own confidence and leadership skills. Akanksha is very grateful for the opportunities Kids Play Foundation has provided.

  • Gavan Grewal

    Team Member – BC

    Gavan Grewal joined KidsPlay Foundation 2017 after a basketball event took place at his highschool. After learning about their goals and how they operate, Gavan decided to become a member of the Kidsplay Team and soon took on the role of becoming a senior volunteer with the Organization. Gavan started his journey with Kidsplay by becoming a mentor in one of the mentorship programs at one of the elementary schools in Surrey. It was during this program where he learned the importance of providing guidance and mentorship to younger kids in order for them to be successful in the future.

    Throughout his time with Kidsplay, Gavan has assisted in multiple sports events, educational forms, and clothing/food drives. In the future, Gavan wishes to pursue a career in which he can help people on a daily basis and implement Kidsplay’s goals and ideologies. Hence why Gavan is working towards a career in Law Enforcement as a police officer. Currently, he is in his third year at the Justice Institute of British Columbia in the Bachelor’s of Law Enforcement Studies (BLES) program. Additionally, he has completed two police academies with the RCMP and New Westminster Police and continues to work towards completing his degree while serving his community and leading our youth in the right direction.

  • Amisha Johal

    Team Member – BC

    Amisha Johal is a student at the University of British Columbia pursuing her studies in Environmental Engineering. Amisha began volunteering for KidsPlay during the summer of 2020. Even though her time at the organization has been short, she has learnt many important skills and stories. She has been an asset to the organization with her communication skills, she has been able to build a strong rapport with the kids who attended the summer camps. Amisha says she feels truly blessed to be able to work with the organization and she looks forward to more summer camps!

  • Gurjivan Johal

    Team Member – BC

    Gurjivan Johal is a student at Douglas College enrolled in the Nursing program. She began volunteering for KidsPlay during the summer of 2020. The summer camp was her most memorable KidsPlay event, even though it was held during the pandemic. Gurjivan has been blessed with great opportunities to give back to her community through this organization.

  • Manbir Kaur

    Team Member – BC

    Manbir is a single mother of two children. She went through a difficult marriage with constant mental and other types of abuse. She had the opportunity of either going through this hell of a life or break the societal norms and stigmas of separation. Making the choice of leaving that life she went through numerous struggles. We say we live in a modern and new world but we yet have to make this society a safer place for many women like Manbir.

    The constant labelling and negative comments only make a dreadful situation like this worse for the person. She refused to go through that torture and put her children through it and made the choice many fear. It was not easy for her then and it hasn’t been easy still but she is determined to make healthier choices for a healthier life. At the end of her dreadful divorce, Manbir was left with close to nothing financially. Everything had to be started from ground up again. She went to school and became a nurse.

    She is also a make-up artist. To this day, she receives minimal support for her children from their father and raises them with two jobs. She resorted to fitness to handle the constant pressures and expectations. She used that as a positive outlet to relieve her stress. She is on her way to competing in fitness competitions. Manbir joined our team to not only create a safe space for young women and men, but to also instill in her children a passion that will stay with them for the rest of their lives. She is a believer in Karma and believes she has been able to achieve strength through all the good she has done for those around her.

  • Charan Lamba

    Team Member – BC

    Charan Lamba is a senior volunteer with Kidsplay Foundation. Charan was born and raised in India before he immigrated to Canada in 2014. He finished Law Enforcement Studies Diploma from the Justice Institute of British Columbia. Intending to become a Police officer one day, Charan has been serving the community as a Special Municipal Constable with The Vancouver Police Department since 2017. Charan has been an integral part of the Kidsplay Foundation since 2018, realizing the need for good leadership for our youth.

    Charan believes that whenever a child interacts in the community, he/she tries to find his/her identity (where he/she belongs). So, it’s crucial for us as a community to introduce them to a good group and give them a positive identity. With the passion to serve the community and mentor the youth, Charan started his Kids Play journey by running a mentorship program at one of the elementary schools in Surrey.

    Charan was responsible for teaching ethical and social values to a class of 30 kids while keeping the learning environment fun and interactive. Throughout his time in Kidsplay, Charan has coordinated various sporting events for kids and young adults. At these sporting events, Charan takes time to interact with the youth, bring them under his supervision, and mentor them to be a better version of themselves.

    Charan truly believes that the strength to bring change in society lies in positive leadership. As a leader, Charan aspires to lead others in the same direction and introduce more positive leaders in the community to have a bigger impact.

  • Balnoor Nahal

    Team Member – BC

    Balnoor Nahal is currently attending the University of the Fraser Valley and is working on obtaining her degree in Criminology. One of her goals in life is to help those in need. Balnoor started volunteering with KidsPlay in the summer of 2020 to take the right steps in achieving this goal. It is important to her to give back to her community in any way she can. Balnoor is grateful to be a part of the KidsPlay team and is excited to partake in future events.

  • Jass Rai

    Team Member – BC

    Jass Rai is a student at the University of Fraser Valley studying criminology. Jass was born and raised in Abbotsford, BC and has always wanted to help people in need which is why he strives to accomplish this goal through policing. Jass’s first time in KidsPlay was volunteering at Dasmesh Punjabi School where he help set up events with the youth and have them engage in meaningful conversations and activities. Kids Play’s diverse group of members and strong passionate team has allowed Jass to further grow mentally and have a sense of belonging.

    Jass has also participated in many other events since then and also is an active volunteer at the Abbotsford Police Department. Jass currently works as security at the Abbotsford Regional Hospital and gives his all to help anyone in need. Jass aspires to one day become an outstanding police officer that can become an ideal role model and protect anyone in need.

  • Sukhman Sidhu

    Team Member – BC

    Sukhman Sidhu is currently enrolled in Bachelor’s of Criminology at Simon Fraser University. Sukhman has been volunteering with Kidsplay since the beginning of 2019 and has been working to distance our youth from the lifestyle of drugs, gangs, and violence. To protect our youth, Sukhman displayed his efforts by running a successful mentorship program at Dasmesh Punjabi School.

    Along with offering the youth a brighter future, Sukhman believes that his most memorable experience is helping the unfortunate and putting a smile on their faces through their darkest times. Constantly involved in the community, Sukhman has chosen to pursue a career in law enforcement. In addition, Sukhman has completed the Junior Police Academy with the city of Abbotsford, and he continuously devotes his time and energy to help strengthen our community.

  • Jessica Sherman

    Team Member – BC

    Jessica Sherman, a dedicated member of Kids Play Foundation. She is the living embodiment of turning pain into power. Following the loss of her 18-year-old brother to the youth gang violence epidemic in the City of Abbotsford, this grief struck young woman underwent a crucial metamorphosis. Torn by grief and a sense of helplessness at the exponential increase of the youth drug and gang violence in the Lower Mainland, lead her to life dedicated to public service. In October 2018, at her brother’s 4-year death anniversary, Jessica spearheaded and launched the Kids Play Youth Mentorship Program at a school in Mission, BC.

    Through this free program, Jessica is educating, freeing, and giving an equal platform and empowering the next generation of girls and boys. Additionally, since 2015, Jessica has been sponsoring an annual memorial scholarship through the Abbotsford Community Foundation. This scholarship is awarded to a graduating student of W.J. Mouat Secondary School who demonstrates integrity and good sportsmanship. Jessica  is an epitome of hope for a better world for the rising leaders. After the loss of her brother, she has overcome adversity and has used her personal journey in a way to inspire and motivate others to be positive despite challenges and setbacks.

  • Eknoor Kaur Toor

    Team Member – BC

    Eknoor Kaur Toor is a currently a grade 12 student at École Panorama Ridge Secondary with an ambition to pursue a career in medicine. She has been volunteering with Kids Play since 2018 and is now a senior volunteer and youth event coordinator at Kids Play. Through her time with Kids Play, Eknoor has learned to hone her leadership skills and gotten several opportunities to get involved in the community!

    One of the opportunities has been to co-coordinate the Environmental Portfolio of Kids Play. In the portfolio, she organized tree planting events and worked with several external organizations. Her fondest memory in this journey has been seeing youth and adults alike come together at our first tree planting event and work towards a common goal. Over time, Eknoor fostered a passion for environmentalism driving her to further delve into research on how we can better engage the community in consciously help the environment.

    Eknoor strongly believes that every tree planted, every game played, and every program ran becomes a moment treasured by someone in the community. No matter the hiccups along the way, everything Kids Play does serves the bigger picture and Eknoor is grateful to be a part of the action!

  • Kinney Toor

    Team Member – BC

    Kinney Toor currently works as a guard for the RCMP. He studied Criminology at Kwantlen Polytechnic University as his aspiration is to become a police officer in the near future. Kinney has been a part of KidsPlay since 2016. He always had a passion for helping others out and with the help of Kal Dosanjh and the KidsPlay family he couldn’t have done it.

    With countless amounts of events being done, his most memorable moment with KidsPlay is during the soccer tournament at BC Place. Seeing hundreds of children come out to compete inside of a stadium where professionals play was amazing. His goal is to be a great mentor to the people around him and continue to strive to help our community become better.

  • Prabhvir Tiwana

    Team Member – BC

    Prabhvir is an undergraduate student at Kwantlen Polytechnic University. He is working towards a career in Law Enforcement. Prabhvir is a well involved member in the community and has been tirelessly working to build the community in the past few years. He aims to help the youth from falling victim to the harsh lifestyle of drug use and gangs. Prabhvir has been able to pursue this goal through Kids Play Youth Foundation, a registered nonprofit working towards keeping youth away from a lifestyle of drugs, gangs and violence.

    He joined Kids Play when he witnessed the negative impact Drug use and gang violence has had on his community. After realizing the damaging effects such a lifestyle holds, he has chosen to combat this by aiming to help vulnerable youth in avoiding this reoccurring issue our society faces. Prabhvir has developed himself into a role model that children look up to. He has grown from a general volunteer to now an Executive of Kids Play.

    Through Kids Play he has learned valuable skills and moral lessons which have shown him the harsh realities of the world but has also shown him what needs to be done to effectively make a change in our community. He has held multiple events in our community ranging from Educational forums to sports events. Prabhvir is a strong believer in the ideologies Kids Play was formed on. He believes that to help our youth from falling victim to the wrong path, education and sports must be implemented.

  • Jas Singh

    Team Member – BC

    Jas is a seasoned IT professional with years of experience in Enterprise Data & Analytics, Systems Design and Artificial Intelligence. Jas is a dedicated member of Kidsplay and believes in giving back to the community. Jas has been leading the organization’s Web Development and technological innovation efforts. In addition to their technical expertise, Jas is also a mentor for new immigrants and has received recognition from the IECBC for their efforts. Passionate about giving back and making a positive impact in the community, Jas is committed to helping youth learn, grow, and stay drug-free.

  • Paban Dhaliwal

    Team Member – AB

    Paban began his policing career in 2003. He has focused his career on and is passionate about Community Based Policing, Diversity, Gang Prevention and Youth Development. Throughout his career he has continually volunteered with and championed many initiatives to make his community a better place. He has been a member or volunteer of various boards, committees and initiatives. Paban worked with a high school to develop a wrestling program and became the assistant coach.

    Paban also started an annual community clean-up to build a bridge between the students and the surrounding community and to give the students a sense of ownership and pride within the community. His vision was to create a safer and cleaner atmosphere, one where pride and ownership was evident. This event continued well after Paban transferred to new roles. In 2020, Paban worked with Kidsplay to expand the program to Calgary. One of the first initiatives was a successful toy drive in support of Toy Angels.

    Paban believes that it takes a village to raise a child and by being involved in positive activities this prevents kids from being pulled into negative directions. With this in mind he built and formalized a network, which includes both formal and informal leaders in sports, performing arts and music, to work together towards crime, drug and violence prevention.

    Paban is a compassionate individual who continues to build community, influence and develop others to be the leaders of tomorrow both through his work and volunteering which quite often blends into one another.

  • Lovedeep Singh

    Team Member – AB

    Lovedeep has been volunteering at Kidsplay Foundation Calgary since 2021 His first ever Kidsplay event was at the 2021 Skate Night and Clothing Drive. Lovedeep, along with our core team in Calgary, have planned and hosted many events such as the Toy Drive, Basketball, Football and Soccer events.

    Lovedeep has previous knowledge in business management and is currently in Criminal Justice, with aspirations of one day becoming an uniformed officer just like many of Kidsplay volunteers.

    His favourite memory of Kidsplay is the 2022 3v3 Basketball Tournament. Lovedeep  along with the rest of the Kidsplay Volunteer team played in a fun, competitive game against Local Law Enforcement officers. Lovedeep loves playing sports and giving back to the youth in his free time, trying his absolute best to keep young kids away from drugs and gangs.

    “Its never too late to learn from your mistakes and become a better human”

  • Harpal (Coach Harp) Sandhu

    Team Member – AB

    Harpal Sandhu has been with the aviation industry in 1995.

    He founded Coach Harp Organization in 2009 and the South Asian Sports Development Association in 2017. In 2018 Harp joined CAP Corporation as the Director of Football Development for them.

    Harpal has 35 years of community service which he has put community first. Giving back was instilled in him at a very early stage while he was playing football in late 80’s – 90’s.

    Harpal’s mentors where his football coaches. He is where is he cause of their positive and inspiring teaching of life. He understands the full meaning of brotherhood.

    In his Coach Harp Organization, we help young athletes and risk youth overcome mental hurdles that holds them back from reaching their full potential. He helps these youth become better of leaders tomorrow by showing them the world that they need to explore and grow in aspects of their life.

    He also help retired professional and amateur athletes to gain their name back and start making a brand for themselves. He gives them a platform for their voice to heard.

    In his South Asian Sport Development Association (SASDA) which is nonprofit agency. He works to introduce sports to South Asian families and explain to them the importance of youth sports. He coaches young people from the grades 4 – 12 and teaches them life and  leadership skills as well as sense of community.

    “There are good people and bad people out there – that’s just life. The best thing you can do is just keep living with a big heart and remember the incredible value of a smile.” – Coach Harp

  • Arleen Dhaliwal

    Team Member – AB

    Arleen is a fourth year sociology student at the University of Calgary. She has been a volunteer a kidsplay since 2021.

    Arleen loves being involved in bettering our community and she feels that children, need our attention and a safe place to keep them entertained where they can be set on the right path in life.

    She is so grateful for the opportunity to be able to help out our community with @kidsplayfoundation.

    “I love seeing the smiles on the kids as they participate in our events it brings me joy seeing the impact we can make on our community one step at a time.”

  • Tarnpreet Sidhu

    Team Member – AB

    Tarnpreet has been volunteering with Kidsplay Foundation Calgary since 2021, and participated in her first Kidsplay Foundation event which was a Skate Night and Clothing Drive in 2021. Tarnpreet has participated in and helped plan a series of events following her first event such as a Toy Drive, and a Basketball and Soccer Tournament. She is also a volunteer with UNICEF on campus at the University of Calgary, and aspires to help make a positive change in our community in every way she can. She is currently attending University with the goal of becoming a Physiotherapist.

    Tarnpreet spends her free time giving back to her community through organizations such as Kidsplay, and wants to help build a brighter future for the upcoming generations. She along with our core volunteers are working towards keeping the youth away from the lifestyle of gangs, drugs, and violence. Her favourite memory with Kidsplay has been the 2022 3v3 Basketball Tournament where she first witnessed the level of power a community has when they work together. The turn out at the basketball event was more than what we had expected and it motivated her to help the youth even more.

  • Manraj Saran

    Team Member – AB

    Manraj been volunteering at Kidsplay Foundation since 2016. His first ever Kidsplay event was at the 2016 Vancouver Nagar Kirtan. Manraj at first thought he wasn’t going to enjoy being a part of Kidsplay but over time helping to make a difference in the community made him more passionate about volunteering. Manraj was born and raised in Surrey BC but he has recently moved to Calgary in 2018. He has brought the Kidsplay community along with him and takes responsibility for hosting events and helping out as one of our youngest leaders in the Calgary Chapter. Manraj is a grade 12 student attending Nelson Mandela High School.

    Manraj’s favourite memory of Kidsplay was the 2017-2019 Surrey Nagar Kirtans when he would dress up as the mascot. Manraj was motivated because he always enjoyed helping people out, but his main reason for joining Kidsplay Foundation was because his biggest influencer his cousin, Kiran Toor, who is currently the Vice President of Kidsplay Foundation.

  • Mandeep Manhas

    Team Member – AB

    Mandeep holds a Sociology degree as well as a Business and Paralegal Diploma. She aspires to become a lawyer and hopefully give back to her community in various ways.

    Mandeep has been volunteering with KidsPlay since June of 2022. Approached by her former wrestling coach (Paban), she couldn’t say no. Although she had zero intention to volunteer she decided to give it a shot and started with one of her passions, wrestling. Her excitement slowly grew to help the non-profit organization and its motive “keeping kids off the streets and striving through sports.”

    Mandeep is a former athlete, but focused mainly on wrestling and rugby throughout her life. Being a mother of two young boys Mandeep knows, understands, and believes it takes a village to raise a child (children). This is why she manifests as much of her energy with KidsPlay. Taking baby steps into the right direction with the organization and amazing volunteers.

    “Being busy with the boys it gets difficult to leave the house some days. Then, I look over at my boys. They remind me, motivate me, and give me a reason to stay committed. There are other kids out there needing my help today. It’s kind of a push / momentum to get me going for KidsPlay. Today it’s someone else’s child, tomorrow it will be mine.”

  • Gurjot Tiwana

    Team Member – AB

    Gurjot is a 28 year old individual who is passionate, enthusiastic and versatile to life long learning and teaching.

    Currently employed with the Correctional Service of Canada (CSC) as a Correctional Peace Officer, he works with individuals in conflict with the law and Aboriginal affairs. Prior to his employment with CSC he was working with youth in the province of Alberta at the Calgary Young Offenders Centre (CYOC).

    His commitment and drive towards positive change has governed him to always give back to communities and people that are facing challenging times. Since graduating with a Bachelor of Arts in Criminal Justice from the University of Athabasca, he has committed himself to volunteering with the Calgary Crime Stoppers Association previously and currently with The Kids Play Foundation as he believes positive change is a path forward to a healthly future.

    He is the owner to a beautiful puppy Bubbles, a parrot Milo and also a husband to an inspiring wife Pavan, who all challange and motivate him to achieve higher success day in and day out; which help him to assist others in florishing and striving to avhive their full true potential.

    Aside from his work life and volunteering experience, he loves to blow steam by soaking in nature’s perstine presence and properties. He loves to participate in hiking, skiing, kayaking and swimming as they are some of the things that are very dear to his heart. He also has a deep love for sports such as soccer and running since early childhood as these are some of the things that allow him to keep healthly for a clear, free and consicous mind that is critical and crucial in carrying out day to day duties whether at work or at home with his friends and loved ones.

    His future goal is to become an Officer with the Clagary Police Service as he has dedicated to work harder and harder each day; along with his passion towards helping people and giving back to communities to achieve this goal.

  • Sandip Singh

    Team Member – AB

    Sandip has been  a volunteer with KidsPlay Foundation Calgary since its start in Calgary in 2020. He currently works as an Estimator in the construction field. He grew up in India and came to Canada 10 years ago to pursue further education. Growing up he was fortunate to have a positive influence around him in the form of parents, friends, and cousins who kept him focused and on the right path in life. Volunteering for KidsPlay gives him a purpose to help, guide, and support our youth the same way he was supported by keeping  the youth focused on their goal in life and keeping them away from a lifestyle of gangs, drugs, and violence. Service to the community is a part of his faith which keeps him motivated to give back to the community

    He has volunteered at all the events held by Calgary team which includes – Skating night, Toy drives, Food Drives, Basketball tournament, Football and Soccer event.

    “I strongly feel that no kids should trickle down the wrong path due to lack of guidance and mentorship. We as a community are responsible for the actions of our youth. If we don’t point them in the right direction, we don’t have the right to point fingers at others for not doing their part”

    In his free time he likes to golf and spend time with family and friends

    His future goals are to become a police officer to keep our community safe and give back to his community. “I would want to be more involved in community policing”.

  • Harman Kals

    Team Member – AB

    Harman has now been a Peace officer since 2014. Harman first gained work experience, working as a Loss Prevention officer. This is where Harman firsthand witnessed organized retail crime and how it was connected to gangs. Harman saw vulnerable youth being targeted, exploited, and used for profits. Retail crime was a gateway entry for many youths into the gangs.

    Harman first began his Peace officer career as a Correctional Peace officer in the Provincial system and was shocked to see the same youth he had dealt with in the retail industry. They had now been deeply involved into the gangs and convicted of serious criminal/violent offences.

    Harman has been volunteering with various organizations since 2010 including Law Enforcement Torch Run since 2014.

    Harman began to volunteer with Kids Play in 2021. Kids Play has provided Harman the opportunity of giving back to the community, diverting Youth away from gangs, violence, and drugs. The idea of giving back to the communities he currently serves in was a no brainer.

     
    After having realized where he would have been if it wasn’t for his High School Resource Police officer, Principal, and several other positive influences. Harman soon recognized his passion of giving back to his community and providing the same guidance/support he was blessed with.

    Having worked in the prison system, understanding how difficult it is to get out of the cycle of gangs. Speaking with high-profile gang members inside the prison and how much they regret their decisions. Harman’s vision is to minimize the lives lost to gang violence, to create future positive leaders and role models for many generations to come.

  • Shane Knox

    Drug & Gang Education Team

    Growing up on the streets taught him to do whatever it takes to survive. Shane went back and forth between social services and his grandmother. He became involved in the drug and gang scene, however Shane knew, deep inside, the criminal lifestyle wasn’t for him. He wanted to change. Gradually, over time, he expressed his interest to leave and pursue something legitimate, and become a productive citizen of society. While Kal patrolled the streets of Downtown East Side, as a member with his respective department, he had many encounters with Shane. They gradually built a positive rapport with one another. When Shane decided to leave this life of crime behind, he contacted Kal.

    Shane’s struggles did not end there. His ex gave birth to their daughter. The ex passed away shortly thereafter, leaving Shane the option of becoming a single dad and managing work, or leaving his daughter in the hands of social services. Shane made the difficult decision to step up as a single parent, and keep custody of his daughter.

    Shane has returned to his roots and now identifies with his culture. He also identifies with other youth, who have gone through similar upbringing to his. He said, “I want to leave a legacy my daughter would be proud of”. He is one of the newest members of the KidsPlay Foundation’s Drug and Gang Education Team. Shane now gives back to the community and comes out to present at Drug and Gang Education presentations to guide youth onto a better path.

  • Stan Price

    Drug & Gang Education Team

    Stan grew up in a dysfunctional home. There was no one to guide him to achieve a higher education, to encourage him to participate in sports, or push him to pursue his dreams and ambitions. No child is born a criminal. Stan got involved with the wrong crowd, learning that violence was a powerful tool to gain attention, power and money. He found his identity in a gang, which he co-founded in the Downtown Eastside, known as the Red Alert. While working as a beat patrol officer, Stan and Kal would be constantly getting into arguments and fights, as Stan was running a drug operation and the police were trying to shut him down.

    It took the particular circumstances of almost losing his son to the drug trade, that made Stan step back, reassess his life, and decide it was time for change. KidsPlay Foundation is proud to have Stan as a presenter on our Drug and Gang Education Team. He is an invaluable member of our KidsPlay family; as are all other volunteers, presenters, sponsors and community partners.

  • Shenan Charania

    Drug & Gang Education Team

    Shenan Charania immigrated to this country when he was just a youth. His life prior to that point had been an ideal one and full of promises. He participated in sports, was a standout student, and was embraced by a loving family. He believed in working hard to achieve goals. All that changed upon arriving here. The life he knew back home, and the life he came to learn here were polar opposites.

    He came into a school, where neither education nor sports or community service were looked upon with regard. Students around him cared more about partying, drinking, smoking drugs, rumours, gossip and drama. He stood out, and therefore was bullied. This led him down a dark path of being eventually expelled from school for depraved behaviour; involving fighting,

    smoking drugs, selling drugs, and eventually turning into a full time lifestyle of drugs, gangs and crime. It was not until his house was shot up late into the game, and his parents were home; that he realized he needed to change.

    Shenan went into legitimate business, and made lots of money, but it did not give him internal satisfaction. He transitioned away from his pursuit of money, and began to focus on helping others by becoming a life coach. Today, Shenan is a successful life coach, and a key member of the KidsPlay Foundation Drug and Gang Education Team.

  • Sumit Ahuja

    Drug & Gang Education Team

    Sumit Ahuja is a practicing lawyer in British Columbia and a recovering alcoholic and addict.  After his addiction almost took his life in March of 2017, Sumit attended a residential treatment center and achieved sobriety. Sumit’s personal mission to assist anyone dealing with addiction to find help and understanding and break the culture of secrecy that surrounds addiction. He is a member of the KidsPlay Education team and speaks with the team at schools and community centres.

    He is a member of the KidsPlay Education team and speaks with the team at schools and community centres. Sumit is the founder of live Big Society – an organization established to help those who cannot afford the means to access recovery centres. The road to recovery was challenging for many individuals Sumit came across during his days in
    recovery, and that is what compelled him to take action and become a beacon of hope for others.

  • Deep Rai

    Drug & Gang Education Team

    Deep is an entrepreneur with a mission to change the world. In his own words, “I’m just a regular guy born and raised in Surrey”. Deep has encountered lots of success in his career and most importantly (in his own words) just as many failures. In 2015, while running a trucking company, Deep faced the downturn of the oil crisis in Alberta.  Soon after, his business followed the same fate and the doors were closed. As a result of this ordeal, Deep turned to alcohol and drugs as a coping mechanism.

    As someone that prided myself by his material possessions, he found himself lost and with no purpose. After struggling with depression and anxiety, no license, vehicle, or money; Deep finally learned that happiness is free. They say this is the greatest lesson life can teach one.  During the early stages of COVID, with only $1,500 to his name, he quit his full time job and started a new business.

    He found his new purpose: to change the world. He began creating jobs in his community and is in the process of starting his own Foundation. As Deep says, “My new found success could not have been possible without Kal and Kidsplay”. For Deep, Kidsplay filled a void in an otherwise empty life and provided him with a greater purpose going forward.

  • Vijay Mann

    Drug & Gang Education Team

    Vijay’s educational background consists of a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology from the University of the Fraser Valley, a Bachelor of Education and Special Education Diploma from the University of British Columbia, and a master’s in counselling psychology from Adler University.

    He is currently a school counsellor with the Burnaby School District. Prior to this, he was a teacher, a school administrator and a counsellor based in the community. Vijay has also worked with several counselling providers in the community and government funded projects.

    In addition to his employment, Vijay spends his time writing, enjoying fitness, and basically learning about anything and everything. He has also been a featured writer at The Good Men Project and has his own writing blog, which promotes writing-based and art-based therapy.
    Vijay’s view of therapy is to treat clients with empathy and dignity and help them shift toward lasting health. It is a journey based on care, trust, and self-discovery.

  • Tj Sheehan

    Drug & Gang Education Team

    Tj Sheehan grew up In a small town close to Vancouver. He was kicked out of high school and at a young age moved to Alberta to work on the oil rigs. Soon he was involved with gangs and drugs, battling addiction and a brush with death. He was finally able to turn his life around and now speaks to youth groups and schools about his powerful experience and future hope! As the founder of Coastal Recovery Community and Pivot: Empowering Recovery Society, his mission is to help others overcome addiction. The vision is: Save a life. Save a family. Save a community.

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