POSTED: Friday October 21st 2011
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Youngsters Throughout Southern California Continue to Benefit from the Legacy of the 1984 Los Angeles Olympic Games

LOS ANGELES - October 19, 2011 - The LA84 Foundation, the legacy of the 1984 Olympic Games, has awarded $430,027 in grants to support 15 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.

“We believe that every youngster in Southern California who chooses should have the opportunity to be involved in sports,” said Anita L. DeFrantz, President of the LA84 Foundation.  “Place of residence, physical ability and financial resources should not dictate whether a girl or boy plays sports.  Our grants to organizations help to level the playing field so that boys and girls can get in the game.”   

The organizations receiving the latest grants include THINK Together ($76,040) that will use funding to provide after-school sports programs at 17 middle schools in the following school districts:  Baldwin Park Unified, Bassett Unified, El Rancho Unified, Little Lake City School District, Lynwood Unified, Mountain View School District and the South Whittier School District.  Funding to Woodcraft Rangers ($75,000) will help them continue to offer free basketball and soccer sports programs after school at 41 elementary and middle schools in Los Angeles County.  Approximately 1,600 girls and boys benefit from the sports programs.  YMCA of the East Valley/Redlands Family Branch ($75,000) received funding to assist with the building of a new indoor aquatics facility.  The new facility will permit the branch to serve about 6,000 youth who live in the communities of Redlands, Highland, Yucaipa, Loma Linda, Mentone, Beaumont, Colton, Calimesa, Grand Terrace and San Bernardino.  The grant to Inter Tribal Sports Inc. ($60,000) is to assist with officials, uniforms and equipment for sports programs primarily for Native American youth on or near Indian reservations in remote, rural areas of San Diego, Riverside and San Bernardino Counties.  Funding for the Boys and Girls Club of Venice, Inc. ($23,000) will be used to assist them in providing sport programs to 700 youth in Venice, Mar Vista, Palms, Marina Del Rey and Culver City.  In addition to offering essential human services to people in the Hollywood area, the Assistance League of Southern California ($22,482) provides a basketball and swimming program to youth in the area.  The grant will help them deliver the sports programs.  Boys & Girls Club of Burbank Inc. ($18,505) received funding to continue a soccer program serving 400 boys and girls in the communities of Burbank, Sun Valley, Glendale, North Hollywood and La Crescenta.  Challengers Boys & Girls Club ($15,000) will use funding for its soccer program engaging approximately 100 girls and boys in South Los Angeles. 
     
Additional grants went to three organizations offering horse therapy programs to boys and girls with physical and/or mental disabilities:  Carousel Ranch Inc. ($10,000, Santa Clarita); Ride On LA ($10,000, San Fernando and Thousand Oaks); Riding Emphasizing Individual Needs and Strengths ($10,000, Fallbrook, San Diego County).  Central Coast Junior Golf, Inc. ($10,000, Santa Barbara) and Pro Kids Golf Academy, Inc. ($5,000, City Heights, San Diego County) received funding to assist them in introducing girls and boys to the sport of golf.
Lake Casitas Rowing Association ($10,000, Ventura County) will use the funding to enhance its learn to row program and Carlsbad Wave Soccer ($10,000, Carlsbad, North San Diego County) for scholarships to its soccer program.

About LA84 Foundation
The LA84 Foundation was established to manage Southern California’s share of the surplus from the highly successful 1984 Olympic Games in Los Angeles.  The Foundation received $93 million at its inception.  Since it began operations in 1985, it has invested more than $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 located in 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.
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Keywords · Los Angeles 84 · Anita DeFrantz · LA84 Foundation

Name: Patrick Escobar
Organization: LA84 Foundation
Email:
Phone: (323) 730-4630
URL: http://www.LA84Foundation.org

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