LA84 FOUNDATION AWARDS $2.2 MILLION TO 28 SPORTS PROGRAMS FOR YOUTH IN SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA

--Grants will support sports programs serving 57,000 elementary, middle, high school and special needs students; half will fund after-school sports -

LOS ANGELES - January 30, 2008 - The LA84 Foundation today announced $2,238,199 million in grants to support sports programs serving more than 57,000 youth in Southern California. Nearly half of the money will go to organizations providing after-school sports programs in elementary, middle and high schools where budget constraints have forced cuts in school-funded programs.

"After-school sports programs are highly beneficial to students of all ages. Sports participation has been shown to improve health and academic performance as well as keeping kids in school and teaching them about decision making," says Anita L. DeFrantz, president of LA84 Foundation, which was created by the surplus from the 1984 Los Angeles Olympic Games. "The LA84 Foundation is committed to providing these after-school programs with as much financial and technical support as possible in order to get young people throughout Southern California to participate in high-quality sports programs."

Two of the largest grants given out by the Foundation will go to organizations serving more than 30,000 youngsters in after-school programs at middle and elementary schools in Los Angeles County. A $617,160 grant to the Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) Beyond the Bell Branch will bring the LA84Foundation/Beyond the Bell Middle School Sports Program to all 82 LAUSD middle schools. More than 20,000 students are expected to participate in seasonal sports leagues in basketball, soccer, softball and flag football. LA's BEST (Better Educated Students for Tomorrow) will receive $306,472. The grant will enable LA's BEST to increase practice time and run competitions for softball, basketball, flag football and track and field, serving 10,000 youngsters at 180 elementary schools.

Additional grants to organizations providing sports opportunities to students include $116,421 to Friends of Expo Center to support its year-round learn-to-swim program that serves 400 youth at 14 schools in LA County. The funding will also support the COLA swim team and junior lifeguard and lifeguard training program. Los Angeles Inner-City Lacrosse Association, which offers co-ed lacrosse programs at two high schools in South Los Angeles, will receive $23,750. The grant will help them expand the program to two middle schools in the area. A $20,909 grant to West Coast Soccer Club, Inc. will make permanent the soccer program at Locke High School in South Los Angeles, offering high-quality soccer training to 100 participants for free.

Kids in Sports, a non-profit organization that runs community-led sports programs for youth in underserved areas of LA County will receive $500,500. In 2008, the program is expected to serve 6,000 girls and boys, ages 7-17 from at least 100 schools, through baseball, basketball, softball, soccer, volleyball and lacrosse. Southern California Tennis Association will receive a $165,000 grant to help provide tennis instruction and equipment to 10,050 youngsters at more than 100 sites throughout Southern California.

While funding a wide range of programs for underserved youth, the Foundation has made supporting programs that serve youngsters with special needs a top priority. LA84 will give $10,000 to Hillside Education Center, which works with youth with severe emotional disturbances, developmental delays and learning disabilities. The grant will enable the center to create a formal sports program critical to helping these youth build a positive body image, confidence and self-esteem. Kayne-Eras Center, awarded $10,000, serves more than 250 special needs youth each year through special education and an after-school sports program. The funding will help the center purchase new equipment and expand its structured sports programs. A $6,426 grant will go to Hamburger Home, Inc., a residential treatment facility that provides a full range of treatment, prevention and intervention services to girls who have been, or are at risk of being abused or neglected. The grant will support volleyball and basketball programs, the only structured sports program available to the residents.

Additional grants:

The other 18 LA84 Foundation grants have been given to diverse organizations, including: Boys & Girls Clubs of America, San Fernando Valley - $12,500; Community Harvest Foundation - $24,518; Crescenta Valley Gymnastics Club of San Dimas - $17,220; Youth Policy Institute, Inc. - $36,128; Academic Basketball Association - $19,360; Al Wooten Jr. Heritage Center - $54,670; American Roundball Corporation, Inc. - $21,200; Anahauk Youth Soccer Association - $66,556; Boys & Girls Clubs of America, Greater San Diego - $22,136; Boys & Girls Clubs of America, Vista - $23,150; California Street Hockey Association Youth Leagues, Inc. - $30,010; Catholic Charities of Los Angeles, Inc. - $42,380; Fullerton Youth Rugby Foundation - $22,400; P.F. Bresee Foundation - $35,000; Girl Scouts, Spanish Trails Council - $10,000; Institute for the Redesign of Learning, The Almansor Center - $4,325; Sport and Art Educational Foundation - $10,000; West Valley Eagles Track Club, Inc. - $10,000.

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 and, since then, has invested $171 million in sports programs serving more than two 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 convenes numerous forums for the exploration of the most pressing issues in sport. For additional information, please visit www.LA84Foundation.org.