LPS Annual Enrichment Fund

Athletics Initiative

A 2002 study conducted by the California Department of Education shows a distinct relationship between academic achievement and physical fitness (ninth grade figures at right). This statewide study provides compelling evidence that the physical well-being of students has a direct impact on their ability to achieve academically. And of course to live healthier lives.

Number of fitness standards achieved
SAT 9 Percentile
Reading

SAT 9 Percentile Mathematics
1
21
35
2
24
38
3
28
43
4
31
51
5
37
58
6
45
67
Sports help children to develop character, make friends, understand healthy competition and appreciate teamwork. All of this is essential to our mission of developing effective community leaders. There is an added urgency to attract LPS adolescents to rigorous sports and wellness programs: 68% are Hispanic or African American, populations at heightened risk for diabetes and high blood pressure. In addition, almost all LPS students are economically disadvantaged. “Today the percentage of adolescents age 15-17 who are overweight is about 50% higher in poor as compared to non-poor families, a difference that has emerged recently,” said Johns Hopkins sociologist Richard Miech, lead author of a recently published study on teenage obesity.

The San Francisco Chronicle recently reported that “Inner-city girls, particularly Latinas, are decades behind their suburban counterparts when it comes to athletics. In the suburbs, girls' participation rates almost equal the boys'. But in San Francisco and Oakland, for example, girls accounted for just 25 percent of youth sports participants, according to a 1995 Haas Jr. Fund survey. In Alameda County, 65 percent of white girls participated in extracurricular activities while only 37 percent of Latina girls did.”

We must ensure that all our students receive the benefits of physical education and after-school athletics programs. Your support of the LPS Athletics Initiative can help each school with:

  • Coaches stipends for after school programs
  • Physical Education classes
  • Uniforms and equipment
  • Facilities rentals
  • Transportation to games

Every child benefits from the Annual Enrichment Fund. Even a small gift has a big impact. You can choose which enrichment area you would like to support and start making a difference in the lives of students throughout the Bay Area today.

To make your online donation today, please click here. To find out more about the Annual Enrichment Fund, please contact Dr. Ann Reidy, Development Director, (415) 695-0669 (x216).