Think Together, California’s leading nonprofit provider of afterschool, expanded learning and school improvement programs, today announced the award of a $317,128 grant from the LA84 Foundation, a nationally recognized leader of youth sports programs focused on positive youth development. This grant will allow more students from under-resourced communities to participate in free team sports opportunities.
Think Together’s funding from the LA84 Foundation previously covered sports for 3,240 students at 81 public schools across Los Angeles, Riverside and San Bernardino counties. This year, the funding is much more extensive, allowing 7,040 students at 88 schools across Los Angeles, Riverside and San Bernardino counties to gain access to sports programs. The expansion includes schools in Think Together’s newest region, Palm Springs.
“Think Together and the LA84 Foundation are aligned in wanting to promote equity for kids. For Think Together that’s in the classroom, and for the LA84 Foundation it’s supporting positive youth development through sport and play,” said Randy Barth, founder and CEO of Think Together. “The communities we serve are often under-resourced, and we have seen the value of making sure students are exposed to sports and activity for their physical and mental health.”
Depending on state and county health guidelines, Think Together will provide in-person sports programs with three 10-week rotations: basketball program for boys and girls in the winter; boys and girls soccer program in the spring; and flag football and volleyball programs in the fall, each with culminating tournaments.
Sports programming is a crucial element of students’ education and will help them develop socio-emotional skills and identity development. In addition to competitive sports, Think Together will provide Skillastics, an evidence-based curriculum, with in-person modules in martial arts, STEM and sports, yoga, mindfulness and more. If needed, Think Together can also provide the Skillastics curriculum in a virtual environment to engage students in physical activity while teaching them sports skills.
“Sports and play programs have never been more important to help kids learn, connect with each other and add joy to their lives in a healthy environment,” said Nolan Ortiz, Director, Grants & Programs of the LA84 Foundation. “Think Together continues to expand their sports programming to reach more youth. We thank Think Together for their partnership and commitment to closing the Play Equity gap across the region.”
Research from the USC Keck School of Medicine found that children were less physically active and much more sedentary in the early phases of the pandemic. Based on the study, the highest risk group includes low-income and minority students. Regular exercise and sports programs help students' social and emotional development as they learn to work as a team and practice strategy and collaborative thinking skills. In addition, regular exercise helps students focus better while in the classroom.
Think Together and the LA84 Foundation have partnered since 2008, and have since served approximately 50,000 students with sports programming, alongside sports and healthy living partners like the LA Dodgers Foundation, US Soccer Foundation and Kaiser Permanente.
Private philanthropic grants are pivotal to Think Together’s expanded learning programs and provide students with equitable access to academic and enrichment programs many youths may not otherwise receive.
Think Together’s afterschool expanded learning programs are funded in part by After School Education and Safety (ASES) grants awarded by the California Department of Education and 21st Century Community Learning Centers grants secured from the U.S. Department of Education. In 2020, California Gov. Gavin Newsom, committed a record $5 billion investment by 2025 for afterschool programs as part of his historic $123 billion funding bill to support K-12 schools.
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