Catching up with: John Houten

Barry Faulkner

When the Anaheim Angels elected to honor John Houten as part of

their Halo Hero program, recognizing community volunteers, they had

little idea it would spike ticket sales so significantly for Tuesday’s

game against the Kansas City Royals.

Houten’s wife, Julia, estimates about five dozen friends will be on

hand to salute the longtime coach and board member for the Harbor Area

Boys & Girls Club, who has also officiated countless youth soccer games

and coached the last several seasons in the Newport Harbor Baseball

Association, for which he is board vice president this year.

But, if every individual Houten’s activism has touched could be on

hand, there wouldn’t be too many seats of the 45,050 seats left for those

who simply want to take in a ballgame.

“My dad was very committed to community service and he instilled that

in his kids,” said the 41-year-old Costa Mesa resident, who came to

Orange County from Boston soon after graduating from Bentley College. “He

really believed there wasn’t much value to life, unless you give back.

Getting involved with the Boys & Girls Club was the right thing at the

right time for me, because I love kids.”

So, well before he had children of his own (Philip is now 14 and Brett

is 13), Houten decided to offer his help.

He began coaching, first basketball and later adding roller hockey. At

the tender age of 27, after obviously making a big impression during his

first year as a coach, Houten became president of the board, which

oversees four Harbor Area branches. He has spent the last 15 years on the

board, many of those as president.

In addition to his coaching, Houten has been a valued fund-raiser and

administrator for the Boys & Girls Club. He estimates he raises as much

as $150,000 annually to bolster the budget that is now roughly $900,000.

“I’m fortunate from the standpoint of my position in life,” Houten

said. “I’m a banker, so I’m involved with a lot of people who are lucky

enough to be very successful and able to give back. Most of the time,

people come to me wanting to

contribute.”

Most of Houten’s coaching has been at the Lou Yantorn branch, adjacent

to Kaiser Elementary in Costa Mesa. In addition to athletics, the club

offers an English as a second language program and is literally home

every weekday afternoon to kids whose parents work.

“We have a fabulous program there for the kids,” said Houten, who

admits less and less of his time is spent “doing the fun stuff in

programs. We have a huge group of committed people who help the kids with

their homework. Before anyone picks up a basketball or a baseball, they

finish their homework.”

Houten’s commitment to his family broadened his involvement. He

coached Philip in basketball and has coached Brett’s NHBA teams as he as

progressed through the program.

Houten was also recently named to the Newport Harbor Education

Foundation, to which he will transition from the Boys & Girls Club.

Houten is gratified to be honored by the Angels, but, he said, he is

regularly rewarded for devoting his time to kids.

“It’s fun to pick up the paper and follow the high school kids in

their sports,” He said. “I’ll see a kid’s name and I’ll remember I

coached him.”

While, Houten cherishes time with his family, he has no regrets about

his volunteer work.

“When you volunteer your time, you’re doing it because you’re

committed to it,” he said. “At the end of the day, I look back and

realize I do it because I want to do it. It’s a real place that everybody

should have in their lives.”