Valley to Share in Funds From Olympic Surplus

A number of San Fernando Valley programs will benefit from the latest grants from the 1984 Olympic surplus approved by the board of the Amateur Athletic Foundation for youth sports in Southern California.

The board approved $676,533 in grants Monday, bringing to $9 million the amount that the foundation has awarded so far.

The 17-member board also gave its approval Monday to a $2-million expansion of facilities at the foundation headquarters at 2141 W. Adams Blvd. Construction is expected to begin next summer on a library to house the group’s extensive collection of Olympic books and memorabilia and a pavilion housing multipurpose meeting rooms.

The board voted to name the new facility the Paul Ziffren Sports Resource Center after the foundation’s chairman.

The facilities, being designed by Charles Kober Associates, will allow the foundation to serve as a gathering place and resource center for amateur athletes and youth sports organizations from throughout Southern California, according to foundation President Stanton Wheeler.

In another move, the board, which is headed by Ziffren and includes Mayor Tom Bradley and former Los Angeles Olympic President Peter V. Ueberroth, approved an expansion of the foundation’s summer swim program inaugurated this year.

The eight-week program of swimming instruction for youths 8 to 18 years of age will be extended next summer from the 41 mainly South and Eastside city, county and YMCA facilities it served last summer to a total of 95 sites. This will include all swimming pools in Los Angeles County operated by either the county or Los Angeles city recreation departments.

Interest Income

Under the operating concepts of the foundation, most of the grants come from the interest income on Southern California’s share of the $230-million Olympic surplus. Currently, according to Wheeler, the foundation has about $92 million in its accounts. It has made grants totaling more than $1 million at some of its quarterly meetings, but Wheeler said that lower interest rates in recent months have meant less money available to distribute this time.

The largest new grant approved Monday was $115,000 to the Newport Aquatic Center in Orange County to provide equipment and additional staffing for both a junior swimming program for youngsters 9 to 18, and an elite training center for potential Olympic athletes.

Other grants approved were:

$50,000 to the Mt. San Antonio College Relays to put on a youth day for 1,800 youngsters, ages 5 to 13, and a series of preliminary clinics.

$80,000 to the Southern California Tennis Assn. to further expand its neighborhood instructional program from the 55 sites funded in 1985-86 to 70 sites in 1987.

$83,000 to the National Foundation of Wheelchair Tennis to continue programs funded this past year at Northridge, Santa Barbara and Pomona and to set up programs in San Gabriel and Riverside.

$11,298 to the South Bay Summer Basketball program to provide a league for junior high school girls.

$55,500 to the Westchester-Playa del Rey Youth Foundation to develop two small fields for 5 to 7-year-olds for baseball and soccer, a regulation-size girls’ softball field and a large playing field and to provide equipment for them.

$15,400 to the American Amateur Karate Federation for equipment and instruction at eight clubs in Central Los Angeles, the Fairfax area, Torrance, El Toro, Fontana, Tarzana, Ventura and Carson.

$59,359 to the Boys Club of Hollywood, including $45,000 in matching funds to improve the club’s equipment, and $14,359 as a straight grant for equipment for girls--recently admitted to the club for the first time--at the club’s Echo Park facility.

$20,340 to the Lynwood Sports Assn. for a year-round track program, as well as for girls’ basketball and softball, boys’ baseball and volleyball and “spud” basketball for boys and girls 5 to 7 years old.

$10,000 to the Simi Youth Baseball League to create a yearling field for 5 and 6 year olds.

$17,136 to the Casa de la Raza Community Center in Santa Barbara to equip and organize gymnastics and table tennis programs.

$24,000 to the Barstow Department of Recreation as a matching grant for a new basketball floor at a facility also used for volleyball and indoor soccer.

$92,000 to the San Diego Assn. of Diving for learn-to-dive programs at seven sites, as well as equipment to upgrade various facilities.

Individual small grants of $2,000 to $5,000 to assist with equipment and uniforms or finance participation fees for youngsters who cannot afford them for the following groups:

Agoura Pony Baseball, Boys Pike Parent Club of Valencia, California Assn. for Blind Athletes, Conejo Youth Basketball Assn., Granada Hills Little League, Long Beach Pony Baseball League, Murphy Ranch Little League of Whittier, Girls Club of Southwest Los Angeles, Tennis Assn. for the Mentally Retarded, Upland American Little League and West Valley Girls Softball League.