Our "GOALS For ABC" adventures continues deep into the fall with remarkable results and great progress on program and physical facility development which go hand in glove. Since early summer, GOALS has sought to support community-based efforts to help improve youth and family opportunities in a needy and long prioritized area of west Anaheim known as the "ABC" neighborhood. Three streets traverse this community of 2,000 residents, streets with names Alameda, Brownwood and Catalina- hence the ABC moniker. But as GOALS has cleaned and cleared areas for active recreation, eliminated garbage and graffiti, and asked transients and gang activities to respect the new emphasis on youth activities, we have brought new meaning to the ABC identifier - namely "A Better Community"! GOALS has already established 5 days of program activities operating within the community - including one to two field trips from the community to GOALS locations or area parks weekly. We are teaming up with local apartment owners, various city agencies, local trades unions, and philanthropic supporters to establish a local GOALS community clubhouse which will be a center for neighborhood programs and which will further accelerate community revitalization. Special thanks to some remarkable people and organizations who have stepped to the plate already including PowerPlus, The International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers, The Electrical Workers Minority Caucus, The City of Anaheim Public Utilities and Public Works Departments, architectural star David Musser, electrical engineering wizard Travuth Mock and front and center with some major league support- Anaheim Ducks! We already have proudly posted a large Ducks sign on the soon to be opened clubhouse exterior and have plans to decorate the interior Ducks- style to underscore their remarkable commitment to this and potentially other community-based endeavors.
Just as LeBron James has brought a new spark and winning attitude to the Los Angeles Lakers it was clear from the spirit of many trainers and other event leaders with the Lakers franchise, that the same upbeat attitude runs through their community clinics too. Our annual fall clinic which was hosted by Lakers staff at GOALSDreamscape Too's Lakers Legends Court for junior high school participants involved with community GOALS programs. Oh yes, a few super fans from our partnering "My Day Counts" program for those with disabilities also joined in the fun and showed off some pretty good moves as well! Special thanks to the Buss family for making these events possible across southern California and for remembering GOALS for the 2nd year in a row!
More thank 140 disabled adults are now participating on a rotating basis in our new GOALS Everybody Counts initiative - one of that features "Special Sports" like basketball, softee hockey, beach ball games and a unique outdoor form of bowling. We have also introduced gardening care at our GOALS Garden site and job training involving our daily maintenance of 50 sets of athletic inventory that must be readied for ice hockey clinics and games at Anaheim ICE.
With the NHL hockey season nearing the first quarter of game action, we are grateful to our local Anaheim Ducks for making some periodic game tickets available so that underserved youth can attend some of the action at the Honda Center. As the City of Anaheim and Ducks have finalized a long-term extension for the franchise to continue at the Honda Center, we look forward to expanding our community programs in tandem with some of the junior high school and high school emphasis on team development across Orange County. As GOALS has already seeded a club at Valencia High School, we'll be looking to build a feeder system through one or more junior high schools and then onto one or more Anaheim high schools as well.
With 14 major community programs and major facilities operating across multiple cities and school districts, in neighborhoods which sprawl over almost 100 square miles, we forecast that more than 1,500 participants will be enjoying wide-ranging, free GOALS activities throughout this year. We continue to extend our deepest gratitude to those many remarkable people and organizations who have enabled our programs and youngsters to prosper and grow and we certainly hope to see you during the holiday season...
Dave Wilk
Founder & Executive Director