Countywide : Youth Sports Group Planning Telethon

The U.S. Youth Athletic Network, a nonprofit organization which is seeking to support youth athletic programs nationwide, announced a $25,000 goal for its first local telethon to be held at the Mall of Orange Feb. 2.

The three-hour event, which will be held inside the mall after it closes, will feature professional athletes, celebrities and live entertainment. It will be the largest single event ever held to support youth athletics in Orange County, said Bob Elder, a radio sportscaster and the event’s host.

Money collected by the event will support local sports programs designated by the donor or go toward a separate fund to be distributed by community-based groups, said Ron Beaulac, the group’s founder and president.

“The whole concept of our organization is a United Way for Youth Athletics,” Beaulac said. “People tend to think that Orange County is affluent and doesn’t have financial problems, but they’re wrong.”

Jim Perry, president of the Orange County High School Athletic Directors, welcomed the telethon as a source of much-needed support.

“Schools throughout the county are working to preserve youth athletics in the face of budget cuts,” he said. “The telethon will assist us to stop the elimination of high school athletic teams and programs.”

Darrell Miller, community relations director for the California Angels and a former Angels catcher, added: “We, at the California Angels, feel it’s our mission to ensure that kids continue to play athletics despite the budget crises. It’s an important area that’s often neglected.”

Team members of the Angels, Rams and Lakers have been invited.

Beaulac stressed the necessity of having a united body to address the government on the different needs of youth sports .

“In Orange County, we have a situation where more and more families are moving into new homes,” he said. “But as homes are being built, fields are disappearing, and the lack of playing fields is becoming a critical problem.”

The lack of athletic grounds has made different sports teams compete against one another for space and resources. In turn, some teams have been squeezed out and others have been forced to raise registration fees, he said.

“We have to work together and to build a unified program to take to the local government body,” he said.

The 2-year-old organization conducts a free, weeklong sports camp for boys and girls at the El Toro Marine Corps Air Station in Tustin, and hopes to expand to other military bases. In addition, the group recently obtained a 40-foot trailer to be used as a mobile sports learning center, bringing books and videos on sports history and heroes to children at sports fields and centers, Beaulac said.

Tickets for the event are $5 for adults; and $2.50 for youths. The cable station that will carry the event has yet to be announced.