From Winnipeg to Montréal (and maybe your city next): our Buckets & Borders story

Key takeaways

Payworks recently partnered with Buckets & Borders, Ball Her Way, the Maizon Dort Foundation, and Basketball Québec to transform two outdoor basketball courts at Parc Martin Luther King in Montréal, to ensure that the local community has access to safe and revitalized courts to play on.

Our contribution helped fund the court build, and our Quebec team volunteered to help paint artist Kezna Dalz's mural design alongside local youth.

This is our third court with Buckets & Borders, following the Mayfair and Northwood courts in Winnipeg - and we're not done yet!

In this article

1. What is Buckets & Borders - and why it matters

2. What was the process of revitalizing the courts?

3. What’s next for this partnership?

Notice any basketball courts around Montréal looking more vibrant than you remember? We recently had the pleasure of contributing to the renovation of two outdoor courts at Parc Martin Luther King. Both have been fully restored, transformed with a stunning mural by local artist Kezna Dalz, and dedicated to something important: helping girls and women in the community find safe, accessible and local places to play.

Our team helped make it happen, through an ongoing partnership with Buckets & Borders, alongside Ball Her Way (links only available in English) the Maizon Dort foundation, and Basketball Québec.

What is Buckets & Borders, and why it matters

Buckets & Borders is a Canadian nonprofit with a simple but powerful mission: bring people together and improve communities through basketball – especially those that are underserved, underrepresented and underfunded.

Founded in 2015 and registered as a nonprofit in 2020, they've been doing the real work - restoring neglected outdoor courts in these communities across Canada and keeping them active long after opening day. Since 2023, Buckets & Borders has been a UNIFIED Partner of Canada Basketball. To date, their impact speaks for itself:

Key stats on Buckets & Borders' impact (source: bucketsandborders.com)

● 29 courts restored globally

● Over 140,000 sq. ft. of playable surface restored, built, and painted

● 700+ volunteers engaged

● Over 4,000 basketballs donated to 30+ communities

● 20 in-person community activations

Source: https://bucketsandborders.com/pages/our-impact. Link only available in English.

This isn't just a fresh coat of paint situation. Every project is a full restoration, with new asphalt, standards, rims, and backboards - plus a commissioned mural by a local artist. Once the court is revitalized, Buckets & Borders stays involved, supporting ongoing programming and maintenance so the space keeps serving the community for years to come.

For us at Payworks, that’s exactly the kind of work we want to be part of!

 What was the process of revitalizing the courts? 

The Montréal project set out to restore two outdoor basketball courts at Parc Martin Luther King, with a specific purpose: to celebrate and advance the movement behind women's and girls' basketball in the community.

It was a true collaboration from start to finish - Buckets & Borders led the restoration, while Ball Her Way, the Maizon Dort Foundation, and Basketball Québec brought community credibility and reach, and Payworks provided funding to help make the build possible.

For the court's design, Buckets & Borders brought in Montréal-based artist Kezna Dalz (link only available in English) whose work is bold, community-rooted, and full of meaning. Local youth from Ball Her Way participated in design sessions with Kezna, helping shape the final vision, ensuring that the court reflects the community it was made for.

Once the design was set, our team showed up. Sébastien Beetz, Partnership Marketing Manager and a proud Québec resident, was among the Payworks team members who volunteered on-site to help bring Kezna's design to life.

"What an incredible experience. Seeing the results come together, even as amateurs with a brush in hand, gave everyone an immediate sense of accomplishment. As someone who spends a lot of time in Montreal's parks watching my kids play sports, I know firsthand how discouraging it can be to see facilities in poor condition. Initiatives like this bring real hope, knowing that young people in our community will have access to safe, beautiful spaces to play!"

That's the ethos behind this partnership. We don’t simply write a cheque; we show up. As Matt Sachkiw, our Chief Operating Officer says: “You can measure some contributions in dollars, but the ones that last, you measure in the hours people give.” That’s been our mandate each year as we Pay it Forward, (including previously revitalized courts in Mayfair and Northwood in Winnipeg), and now at Parc Martin Luther King.

What’s next for this partnership?

Three courts. Two cities. One ongoing commitment.

Mayfair and Northwood in Winnipeg. Now Parc Martin Luther King in Montréal. Each project has been a real partnership – investment and people, not just a logo on a fence.

"Montréal is a growing part of the Payworks story, and we're not here for a moment. We hired our first team member in Montréal back in 2012, and we're here to stay. This court is permanent, and so is our commitment to this city." — Matt Sachkiw, Chief Operating Officer at Payworks.

We're proud of what we've built alongside Buckets & Borders, and we're not finished. We're keeping an eye on what comes next - and there may be another city on the horizon sooner than you'd think…stay tuned!

Want to learn more about how Payworks gives back to the communities where we live and work? Visit our Pay it Forward blog for more stories like this one.