Summary

King County Councilmember Dave Upthegrove on Thursday announced that Para Los Ninos has been awarded a $30,000 King County Youth Sports Grant which will be used to provide sports and physical activities to summer programs for Latino immigrant youth.

Story

King County Councilmember Dave Upthegrove on Thursday announced that Para Los Ninos has been awarded a $30,000 King County Youth Sports Grant which will be used to provide sports and physical activities to summer programs for Latino immigrant youth.

“We know that sports and play are essential for a healthy life and that the benefits are not just physical,” Upthegrove said. “The mental and social benefits of physical activity are equally important, especially for youth who have experienced disruption and isolation in their lives during the pandemic. I am excited that Para Los Ninos can now include this important element in its summer programming.”

Para Los Ninos operates culturally aligned summer programing that celebrates Latino cultural heritage and engage youth ages 4-12 in educational and physical activity. The organization intends to include swimming, soccer, field games and martial arts in summer programs and is planning to integrate physical activities into other parts of the organization over time.

King County’s Youth and Amateur Sports Grants program supports fit and healthy communities by investing in programs and capital projects that increase access to physical activity. The program’s goals include Increasing youth access to and participation in quality physical activity programs; ensuring equity by investing in programming for low-income youth, youth of color, immigrant and refugee youth, and youth with disabilities; and improving health outcomes and reducing health disparities in low-income communities. 

“King County must continue to invest where the disparities are greatest and South King County needs more funding for fields, programming and opportunities for youth,” Upthegrove said. “I am pleased that the Council recognized this in our last round of COVID funding and agreed to my request for an additional $2.5 million for youth sports and outdoor recreation to be awarded in partnership with the King County Play Equity Coalition.”

The next round of funding for the YASG grants will be January 2022. For more information – YASG.