LOS ANGELES, Calif.–The LA84 Foundation announced $1.395 million in grants to 24 Southern California youth sports programs.
Approximately 36,000 boys and girls will benefit from the grants from the organization established to manage Southern California’s share of the surplus from the 1984 Summer Olympics, according to foundation President Anita L. DeFrantz.
The largest grant, $375,000, went to Kids in Sports, which supports and coordinates the activities at 13 sports clubs that provide sports programs for youth in underserved areas of Los Angeles County, DeFrantz said.
The grant will allow it to provide baseball, basketball, softball, soccer and volleyball programs for more than 6,000 boys and girls ages 7 to 17, DeFrantz said.
A $300,000 grant went to LA’s BEST (Better Educated Students for Tomorrow) which will enable it to offer softball, basketball, flag football and soccer programs for more than 12,000 students at 180 Los Angeles Unified School District elementary schools, DeFrantz said.
Other organizations selected to receive grants announced today included:
* the Southern California Tennis Association, which received $150,000 to provide tennis instruction and equipment to 8,500 youngsters at more than 150 sites throughout Southern California
* the Los Angeles Parks Foundation, which received $100,000 to assist in the construction of an adaptive baseball field, the first to be built in the Los Angeles Recreation and Parks system specifically for disabled youth
* Friends of EXPO Center, which received $75,000 to provide swimming lessons during the school day to more than 4,000 youth from elementary, middle and high schools in the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum area
The Boys & Girls Club of the Los Angeles Harbor received $80,000 and the Variety Boys & Girls Club in Boyle Heights received $50,000 to improve sports facilities.
The Boys & Girls Club of the West San Gabriel Valley received a $40,000 grant to expand its teen sports program
The Westchester YMCA received a $35,000 grant to expand its Junior Lakers basketball league
Palms-based LA SCORES received $30,000 and Catholic Charities of Los Angeles $25,000, both to be used to fund their soccer programs
Swim Torrance received $15,000 for scholarships for youngsters pursuing competitive swimming.
The Academic Basketball Association received $12,000 to be used for uniforms and gym rental for the program serving youngsters in the Carson/Compton area
Receiving grants of $10,000 each were the Calabasas Track Club Inc., Chatsworth Youth Sports, Inc., El Sereno Stallions Football and Cheer Inc., Los Angeles Table Tennis Association, Monrovia Youth Baseball League, North Valley Athletic Club, Inc., Simi Track Club Inc., United Track Club Inc., Us Too Gymnastics Inc., and West Valley Eagles Track Club Inc.
RowLA received an $8,000 grant.
Since 1985, the LA84 Foundation has spent $197 million to carry out its mission of serving youth through sport and promote an understanding of role of sport in society, DeFrantz said.
