Jamie Rowe, Copy Editor
The city of Signal Hill is looking for a few patron saints to become part of its Youth Sports Sponsorship program.
Currently, the city absorbs the costs for its youth sports program, which it offers to local children for free, according to Aly Mancini, recreation supervisor for the city of Signal Hill.
The sponsorship program was first unveiled at the May 24 Signal Hill Chamber of Commerce luncheon and does not have any sponsors just yet. [Note: The Signal Tribune is the first to sign up as a sponsor–gold level.] The city does have one-time sponsors for events like the Easter Egg Hunt or Christmas with Santa.
This new program, “gives sponsors more bang for their buck,” Mancini said. Benefits of donating included a display banner at annual events for $100-$499 a year, their names listed in the City Views newsletter for $500-$999 a year, and their logo or name on the sports program’s flyers and jerseys for $1,000 to $1,999 a year among other things.
The children’s sports program is year round and consists of activities like indoor soccer, t-ball, volleyball, flag football and basketball. Many of the children start at a young age and move up through the program, and eventually branch out with their parents into other city activities, like the Summer Concerts in the Park, according to Mancini.
The program focuses on the noncompetitive side of sports, such as not keeping score and encouraging the children to be a part of the team and understand the responsibilities of being a team member.
“Letting the children know the importance of showing up for practice and the games on time is something they can take into their schoolwork,” Mancini said.
Without monetary donations from sponsors, the program has to make due with the bare minimum, such as t-shirts instead of actual uniforms.
“The money could go to a number of things,” Mancini said. “First would be improving the quality of the uniforms. The children get a sense of pride with nicer uniforms, they feel like they’re part of the team.”
The second area would be enhancing the sports awards banquet, which the parents presently pay to attend. “We now have smaller trophies, but maybe we could move up to a higher quality,” Mancini said.
A third area would be training for the coaches. Without sponsorship money, the coaches get the bare minimum through the city, but Mancini said they would like to see coaches learn more about how to work with children and make the most out of it.
Through the coaches, the program hopes to instill a sense of community in the children and show them how to work with each other, and how to follow directions.
To make a donation, visit the Community Services Department inside City Hall at 2175 Cherry Avenue. For more information, call (562) 989-7330.
