Disney Jr. & ESPN bring the magic of play to Oakland children
Oakland, Calif. -- On a bright Saturday morning, Oakland's Ira Jinkins Recreation Center is swarming with children running, jumping and learning the fundamentals of sports.
"When a kid goes out and play sports, they're doing more than kicking a ball, throwing a ball, hitting a ball," Executive Director of Every Kid Sports, Eleana Fanaika explains, "They're learning that they have a whole community behind them. They make new friends. They learn to show up."
"It's really important to a child's development to play lots of different sports," President and General Manager of ABC7 David Wurtzel adds.
Disney Jr., ESPN, ABC7, have teamed up with Oakland Parks, Recreation, and Youth Development, Eat. Learn. Play. Foundation as well as Every Kid Sports to host the "Let's Play Sports Clinic".
"A lot of kids don't get the opportunity to learn the fundamentals of the sport or participate due to the cost," Director of Oakland Parks, Recreation, and Youth Development Myka N. Hammock explains, "And today, they have opportunities to learn these sports with no problem of paying for anything. It's free for today."
"ESPN and Disney's "Let's Play" campaign working with Every Kid Sports comes in and provides seasonal grants for families, to be able to pay the registration fees so their kids can come and do exactly what they did today," Fanaika reveals.
"We have all the kids ages three to seven out here learning the fundamentals of different sports. We have T-ball, football, soccer and basketball," Hammock says.
Children started their day with a dance warm-up and a visit from one very special honorary coach, Mickey Mouse himself.
"Disney brought Disneyland to us, to all our children out here. That's why I'm so excited," Oakland's District 7 Councilmember Ken Houston declares.
Another Oakland foundation was onsite to lend an invaluable assist during the afternoon's events.
"Eat. Learn. Play. was founded by Stephen and Ayesha Curry with the core belief that every kid deserves more and should have all the opportunity and resources to reach their full potential," Managing Director of Impact and Advocacy for Eat. Learn. Play. Marissa Trambley states, "we want to round that out with healthy, nutritious meals, books and other resources that kids can enjoy and take home."
"This is our second year with this wonderful campaign. And in the two years we've been rolling, it's been over 2000 kids have received access to go play. And this year alone, it's already hit 700 kids," Fanaika shares.
"It's super great. It's an awesome experience for us all, not just for myself and my child, but everyone included," mother Kenetra Chappelle says.
"It's a wonderful event for all the kids and families, " Wurtzel adds.
To apply for grants to cover the cost of youth sports registration, visit https://everykidsports.org/letsplaysports.
Disney is the parent company of Localish and this ABC station.
