Dodgers Dream Foundation, LA84 Foundation dedicate 10th new Dodgers Dreamfield at Toberman Recreation Center
LOS ANGELES -- The Dodgers Dream Foundation, in partnership with the LA84 Foundation and the City of Los Angeles Department of Recreation and Parks, unveiled a new Dodgers Dreamfields this afternoon at Toberman Recreation Center in Los Angeles. Those on hand for the dedication ceremony included Honorable Ed P. Reyes, Councilmember, District 1, Howard Sunkin, Senior Vice President, Los Angeles Dodgers, and Dodgers Dream Foundation Director, Patrick Escobar, Vice President, Grants and Programs, LA84 Foundation and Jon Kirk Mukri, General Manager, City of Los Angeles Department of Recreation and Parks.
Following the dedication, Dodger alumni Jimmy Campanis, Bobby Castillo, Al “The Bull” Ferrara and Derrel Thomas led a clinic on the new field.
“It's projects like the Dodgers Dreamfield at Toberman Recreation Center that help build team skills, empower our youth and strengthen communities,” said Councilmember Ed P. Reyes. “I thank the City's Recreation and Parks Department, the Dodgers Dream Foundation and the LA84 Foundation for working with me to make this Dreamfield a reality.”
“We’re pleased that our last Dodgers Dreamfield dedication of 2011 took place during the holiday season,” said Dodgers Dream Foundation Director and Senior Vice President, Los Angeles Dodgers, Howard Sunkin. “All year long, this project has been about giving back to the community and we can now reflect back and be grateful for our partners’ generosity that has enabled the Dodgers Dream Foundation to build ten total Dreamfields this year.”
“I am very pleased that through the efforts of the Los Angeles Dodgers Dream Foundation, the LA84 Foundation, and the City of Los Angeles Department of Recreation and Parks, we will be able to install a total of eight new Dodgers Dreamfields in parks throughout the City of Los Angeles. Through this partnership we will re-build and renovate these fields to give them a myriad of upgrades, as well as a whole new look, and better playability.
“The Department of Recreation and Parks has a long history of working together with both business and non-profit partners to bring improved services to the communities and residents of Los Angeles. We will do whatever it takes to continue our steadfast commitment to promoting youth sports and active lifestyles through athletic activities. The re-building of these 8 fields is a big step forward in achieving our collective goal of providing youth a safe and clean place to play. We are sincerely thankful to both the Dodgers Dream Foundation and LA84 for their generous donations,” said Jon Kirk Mukri, General Manager, Department of Recreation and Parks.
“In what otherwise is a concrete jungle surrounded by buildings and freeways, youngsters in the Toberman Recreation Center neighborhood now have the opportunity to take the field and play baseball and be around friends and caring coaches,” said Patrick Escobar LA84 Foundation Vice President Grants & Programs. “The LA84 Foundation is pleased to have partnered with the Dodgers Dream Foundation and Los Angeles City Recreation and Parks to have made this Dreamfield project a reality.”
Field improvements at Toberman Recreation’s Dodgers Dreamfield include freshly painted and repaired posts, newly installed mesh and wood boards, two new fence dugouts with metal top covers, a till and laser grade infield, new infield mix, amended infield and outfield perimeter radii, new bases, a new home plate and a new pitching rubber and new solar-powered scoreboard and signage.
The Toberman Recreation Center Dodger Dreamfield is the last of ten Dreamfield dedications that will take place in 2011, a number that will more than double the number of Dodgers Dreamfields to 19, with the goal of 50 Dreamfields in the years to come. This year, new Dreamfields have been dedicated at Northridge Recreation Center (February 15), Martin Luther King Jr. Recreation Center (April 2), Pecan Recreation Center (May 14), Lemon Grove Recreation Center (June 11), Pan Pacific Park (July 21), Valley Plaza Park (August 13), Mona Park (November 14) and two at Ritchie Valens Recreation Center (November 19).
Eight of the new fields are within Los Angeles City Department of Recreation and Parks properties in the San Fernando Valley, Eastside, South Los Angeles and Central and Harbor areas. An additional field is located in Los Angeles County Supervisor Mark Ridley Thomas' district. The tenth Dreamfield will be built in Oro Valley, Arizona in memory of Christina-Taylor Green.
About the Dodgers Dream Foundation
Founded in 1998, the Dodgers Dream Foundation (DDF) was created to provide educational, athletic and recreational opportunities for the youth of the Greater Los Angeles community. The Foundation places special emphasis on helping traditionally under-served youth. The Dodgers' Dreamfields program is the Foundation's signature initiative. The program is a partnership between the Dodgers Dream Foundation, the Los Angeles Department of Recreation and Parks and local city officials. The Dodgers Dream Foundation has completed 15 Dreamfields at the following sites: Dodgers Dreamfield at Culver Marina Little League, Seoul International Park, Algin Sutton Recreation Center, Montecito Recreation Center, Cheviot Hills Park, Bishop Canyon Recreation Center, Wrigley Field, Evergreen Recreation Center, Los Angeles Boys & Girls Club, Northridge Recreation Center, Martin Luther King Recreation Center, Pecan Recreation Center, Lemon Grove Recreation Center, Pan Pacific Park and Valley Plaza Park. For more information about the Dodgers Dream Foundation, please visit www.dodgers.com/community.
About LA84 Foundation
The LA84 Foundation was established to manage Southern California’s share of the surplus from the highly successful 1984 Olympic Games in Los Angeles. The Foundation received $93 million at its inception. Since it began operations in 1985, it has invested more than $200 million in sports programs serving more than two million youth in the eight Southern California counties of Los Angeles, Imperial, Orange, Riverside, San Bernardino, San Diego, Santa Barbara and Ventura. Its headquarters is located in the historic Britt House near downtown Los Angeles where it houses the world’s premier sports library and meeting facilities. The Foundation provides grants to youth sports organizations, manages programs, including a coaching education program, and convenes numerous forums for the exploration of the most pressing issues in sport. For additional information, please visit www.LA84Foundation.org.
About the City of Los Angeles Recreation and Parks Department
The Department of Recreation and Parks maintains over 15,710 acres of parkland with over 400 neighborhood and regional parks, 184 recreation centers and facilities, 372 children's play areas, 321 tennis courts, 256 ball fields, 31 senior centers, 13 golf courses, nine dog parks, 14 skate parks, 12 museums and an urban forest of one million trees. The Department also provides after school and day care programs for children teens, including basketball, volleyball, softball and flag football leagues. For more information about the Department of Recreation and Parks, please visit www.laparks.org.