America SCORES PSA on Vimeo

The America SCORES Public Service Announcement is now on Vimeo! America SCORES National Board Member and Soccer Hall of Famer John Harkes speaks about the opportunities America SCORES provides for kids across the country.

CLICK HERE to watch the video.

Earn Money for LA SCORES by Grocery Shopping

You may know that America SCORES LA is a part of Ralphs' Community Contribution Program. As part of this program, friends of America SCORES LA can register their Ralphs Rewards cards to America SCORES LA, and Ralphs will donate a percentage of money you spend back to the organization. Once a year, we need to renew the contract and have everyone sign up again, and that time is here! If you shop at Ralphs and want to help out America SCORES LA, follow the directions below to sign up your card!

If You Have Not Registered Your Card:
1. Go to Ralphs.com and sign up your Ralphs Rewards card
2. Check your email and verify your email address
3. Sign in and follow the instructions below


If You Have Already Registered Your Card:
1. Sign in by going to Ralphs.com and clicking the "Sign In" link
2. Scroll down and click on "Community Contribution" under "Services"
3. Scroll down and click the "Enroll" button
4. Make sure your card information is correct (you don't need to answer every question)
5. Under "Find Your Organization" type in "LA SCORES" and hit search
6. Select LA SCORES, then click "Save Changes"
7. Next time you shop at Ralphs, use your Rewards Card and earn money for LA SCORES!

Alumni Camping Trip

Last week, America SCORES LA staff took 30 SCORES high school alumni on their 5th annual camping trip to Lake Casitas for two nights. We arrived in the late afternoon to set up camp and then everyone met at the girls' campsite for dinner, a campfire and scary stories.

The next morning everyone woke up and met in a nice grassy area near the lake to hang out and play soccer, toss around a football, and play catch. Then after lunch, we drove to the dock and spent the afternoon on the lake switching off between kayaks and a pontoon boat.












On the way home, we stopped at a beach in Ventura where a large group of the kids and staff played a game of football, and then soccer. Everyone had fun time, and this trip was a great way to end the summer before school starts next week.

Trivia Night

Fernandomania!

Last Friday, America SCORES LA high school alumni got the chance to go to a Dodgers game to watch the boys in blue take on the Washington Nationals. Before the game, the kids got to go onto the field to watch batting practice and meet baseball legend Fernando Valenzuela as part of the Amigos de Fernando program.

Meeting at the field at 5:00, the kids all got Fernando Valenzuela t-shirts and then filed onto the field to watch players from both the Dodgers and Nationals warm up at batting practice. During that time, Fernando Valenzuela came over and talked to the kids. They asked tons of questions ranging from "Who was the toughest competition you faced?" (Tony Gwynn and Keith Hernandez) to "What's your favorite Mexican League soccer team?" (Cruz Azul). He talked about being a professional athlete, advising them to "take it one game at a time, and don't be too hard on yourself if you mess up." After the Q&A, Valenzuela signed autographs for everyone and then the kids left to find their seats to watch the game.

The Nationals got an early lead of 6-0 in the 2nd inning. Although the Dodgers were able to make up some runs in the 4th inning with a two-run homer by Andre Ethier and an RBI to left from Casey Blake, they were ultimately defeated 6-3.

Fernando Valenzuela pitched for the Dodgers from 1980-1990. Born in Navojoa, Mexico, Valenzuela became an icon for the Los Angeles Latino community and drew large crowds to the field whenever he pitched. In 1981, Valenzuela became the only player in MLB history to win Rookie of the Year, Silver Slugger, and the Cy Young award in the same year. He is also known for his unique windup: throwing his head back and looking straight up before pitching. At the end of his 17 year Major League career, he had an ERA of 3.54 and 2,074 strikeouts.
(Source: Wikipedia)

America SCORES LA would like to thank Fernando Valenzuela, Ron Sittler, and Noel Pallais for such a great opportunity!

Best Buy's @15 Results Are In

Best Buy's @15 Campaign finished last Friday, July 30th, and the results are in. America SCORES, one of four national organizations selected to participate in this round of the campaign, will receive 26% of $250,000 (totaling $65,000).

With its @15 Campaign, Best Buy pledged $250,000 to be divided among four national nonprofit organizations, and let teens ages 13-18 be the ones to decide how much each organization received. Teens logged onto the website and earned points, which they later dolled out to their organization of choice. With the help of friends, supporters, volunteers, and even alumni from SCORES sites all over the country, America SCORES was able to earn a total of 150,188 points, enough to get an impressive 26% of the total amount. Thanks to everyone who voted!

Other organizations in the campaign include Truth, YMCA and Room to Read. To see the results of the campaign, check out the @15 Website.

Camps for Kids at the Home Depot Center

This summer, the Home Depot Center Foundation invited ten elementary school students from LA SCORES to participate in their "Camps for Kids" program. Camps for Kids is a three-hour summer camp where about 150 kids ages 7-10 get to practice soccer and learn about health and fitness at the Home Depot Center. The kids were split into groups that rotated through different stations: drill stations (passing, shooting, and dribbling), a scrimmage station, and a health station where the kids learned about making healthy choices (and they also got to jump rope, hula hoop, and jump on a large trampoline!)











At the end of the camp, each kid got a boxed lunch and a gift bag from the Home Depot Center which included a brand new soccer ball.