Dr. Jody Hobday is not just any champion of the Creative Kids program, she’s been a huge supporter of the program since it started in 2010.

Hobday’s involvement with Creative Kids started when she volunteered as an adjudicator and fundraiser for the Creative Kids Saskatoon Committee in 2010. She has continued to volunteer since then. “In addition to volunteering, my partner, Murray Taylor, along with our friends and families, make regular monetary contributions. We believe that the arts are a necessary component of children’s lives,” she says.

Not only has she inspired her partner and friends to support Creative Kids, she has also been a monthly donor to Creative Kids since 2012.

“I am impressed by the work that Creative Kids does. In all aspects, this is a great organization,” says Hobday. “The monthly contributions I make comes right from my pre-authorized banking plan and I get a tidy tax receipt at the end of each year. Monthly giving is efficient, affordable, and affirming. I actually smile when I look at my online banking information at the beginning of each month and see that I’ve sent money to Creative Kids!”

There’s more. This past year, Hobday and her partner hosted a fundraising event too. They invited their friends to a pandemic-safe backyard concert they named Back to School with Back of the Bus. Each guest was asked to make a donation to Creative Kids
on-site or in the future. The event raised $1,150.

“Actually, the ‘difficult year’ inspired us. During the pandemic there was a dearth of live arts possibilities. So we tried to imagine the safest event we could host to keep the arts alive and happening,” she explains. “We had a really fun concert/party. The band called Back of the Bus was completely on-board with all safety measures and they played with full hearts. It was a gorgeous afternoon and evening.”

Hobday has been involved in the arts personally and professionally for many years. She received her first university degree from the University of Saskatchewan (U of S), then she completed her doctorate at the University of Alberta in Curriculum Studies/Arts Education. She said all through her learning path, she was inspired by people who were making their livelihoods doing what they loved.

“I wondered if I could do that too. And so this charity has spoken to me on a number of levels. At a basic level: an entry to the arts for youth. But beyond that: part of an income for service providers who teach the arts,” she says.

While studying at the U of S, during her first few years as an undergraduate, Hobday recalls how she had to depend on money made while teaching piano lessons part-time. “If not for that, I may not have gone on to a professional arts career. So for me: the Creative Kids charity is multi-faceted. A kid gets a lesson. An artist gets paid. And everyone gets a chance to participate in arts and culture.”

She adds that arts and culture contribute to a fulfilling life, and that the joy of learning a new instrument or learning a new dance, painting, or improvising theatre, to name a few, elevates people from tough situations.

“Dark times can disappear in the pursuit of art. The skills acquired during lessons in arts and culture remain with children through adulthood and inform their future possibilities as contributing members of society.”

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