POSTED: Wednesday June 13th 2012
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
LOS ANGELES - June 13, 2012 - The LA84 Foundation has awarded $1,101,238 in grants to support 28 youth sports programs throughout Southern California. Since inception, the Foundation has given back more than $200 million to the communities that supported the 1984 Los Angeles Olympic Games.
“It is gratifying that 28 years after the success of the Los Angeles Olympic Games, the LA84 Foundation, the legacy of those Games, continues to make an important difference in the lives of local youngsters,” said LA84 Foundation President Anita L. DeFrantz. “With fewer and fewer options available for youngsters to stay active and fit, it is imperative that all of us support the efforts of organizations that are providing girls and boys with the opportunity to play sports.”
The Beyond the Bell Branch (BTB) of the Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) received ($500,000). As LAUSD continues to cut its budget, after school programs suffer. BTB will use the funding to support its free, year-round, seasonal after school sports program at all 95 middle schools in the District. The program keeps more than 10,000 boys and girls active and connected to the school increasing learning opportunities and leading to better academic achievement. Students Run LA ($125,080) will use the funding to train 3,000 middle/high school students to run the LA Marathon and in the process become better students and individuals. The grants to Friends of EXPO Center ($60,000) and Rose Bowl Aquatics Center ($52,688) will be used to offer swim lessons during the school day for boys and girls at schools in their respective communities. The Boys & Girls Club of Hollywood ($50,000) and California Hospital Medical Center Foundation ($50,000) will use the funding to provide better play spaces for the youngsters they serve. The GRYD Foundation ($50,000) funding is to assist with uniforms/jerseys for the soccer and basketball programs at the 32 sites that are part of the Summer Night Lights Program (SNL). SNL is an LA city-wide initiative of the Mayor’s Office of Gang Reduction and Youth Development now in its fifth year that has proven results in reducing gang violence. A grant to the County of Los Angeles Parks & Recreation Department ($25,870) will be used for its Parks After Dark Program to provide sports opportunities at five parks during the summer. The grant to Playworks Education Energized ($24,100) is to support their in-school and after-school sports programs at elementary schools in Watts, South Los Angeles, Norwalk, Southgate, Highland Park, Mid-City and Crenshaw.
Thirteen organizations providing football opportunities throughout the area also received grants. These include Covina Vikings Youth Football Organization ($10,000); Duarte Hawks Youth Football Corporation ($10,000); Eastside Lions of Lancaster ($7,000); Glendora Junior All-American Football ($5,000); Hacienda Heights Junior All American Football Association ($10,000); LA Southeast Youth Athletic Foundation ($10,000); Lakewood Pop Warner ($5,500); Lawndale Youth Football & Cheerleading Association, Inc. ($10,000); Mid-San Gabriel Valley Pop Warner, Inc. ($10,000); Pico Rivera Dons Football for Youth, Inc. ($10,000); Snowline Communities Youth Football Association, Inc. ($10,000); West Covina Bruins Youth Football ($7,000); Xtreme Youth Football & Cheer Inc. ($7,000). Additional grants awarded went to Any Body Can Youth Resorts Foundation ($10,000) (San Diego); Little Tokyo Service Center ($7,000); People For Parks Charitable Fund ($10,000) (Watts); Search To Involve Pilipino Americans ($10,000) (Los Angeles); Taking the Reins ($5,000) (Los Angeles); YWCA of Santa Monica - Westside ($10,000).
About LA84 Foundation
The LA84 Foundation was established to manage Southern California’s share of the surplus from the successful 1984 Olympic Games in Los Angeles. The Foundation received $93 million at its inception. Since it began operations in 1985, it has invested $200 million in sports programs serving more than 2.5 million youth in the eight Southern California counties of Los Angeles, Imperial, Orange, Riverside, San Bernardino, San Diego, Santa Barbara and Ventura. Its headquarters is the historic Britt House near downtown Los Angeles where it houses the world’s premier sports library and meeting facilities. The Foundation provides grants to youth sports organizations, manages programs, including a coaching education program, and convenes numerous forums for the exploration of the most pressing issues in sport. For additional information, please visit http://www.LA84Foundation.org.
Name: Patrick Escobar
Organization: LA84 Foundation
Email:
Phone: (323) 730-4630
URL: http://www.LA84Foundation.org