LAGUNA BEACH : Program to Help Kids Participate in Sports

Youngsters who want to join sports programs but may face obstacles are getting help from a group of volunteers who have pledged to help remove financial, language and transportation barriers.

The Committee for Children and Youth launched its Community Sports Access Program for boys and girls interested in activities as varied as baseball, soccer, swimming and karate. The group has begun distributing fliers that list sports opportunities and the names of people who can ease the way for those who want to play.

Committee Chairwoman Anne Johnson, who recently presented the group’s goals to the Laguna Beach City Council, said members hope to help families learn about available scholarships or perhaps find a club or other organization to sponsor a child.

Members also will help by offering youngsters rides to ballgames and other events, she said.

“To put a kid on a field for any of these sports costs $300 or $400, I don’t care what sport it is,” Johnson said. “We may be opening a can of worms here, but I don’t think so. Knowing this community, I think it’s manageable.”

The effort is part of a larger push by the Laguna Beach Unified School District to guide children into positive activities and to involve the larger community in the welfare of its youth.