$15K Kaiser Grant Helps Pay for Soccer and Swim Programs at Loma Linda U

A recent $15,000 grant from Kaiser Foundation Hospital Fontana Medical Center helped a hundred children take part in community soccer and water safety instruction programs through Loma Linda University, a league director said Monday.

The grant for the 2012 soccer season provided scholarships to low-income participants to join the league and pay for the swim program, Herbert Atienza of Loma Linda University said.

"This season's grant from Kaiser Foundation Hospital in Fontana was a blessing," Goal 4 Health Director Tina Pruna said. "It allowed us to sponsor 100 players and expand the healthy living component of the program to include post-season swim lessons for the kids."

Goal 4 Health is a community soccer league organized by Loma Linda University Community-Academic Partnerships, Atienza said.

Dozens of low-income children learned about water safety and how to swim at Loma Linda University Drayson Aquatics Center, Atienza said.

The swim program took place Sept. 16 to Oct. 21, and it allowed children and their families to continue physical activity after the soccer season, Atienza said.

The Inland Valley Business Professionals Association provided support for children on the program's waiting list, Atienza said.

For more information about Community-Academic Partnerships or Goal 4 Health, call (909) 651-5011.

Loma Linda University is a Seventh-day Adventist educational health-sciences institution with more than 4,300 students located in Loma Linda.

Follow Redlands-Loma Linda Patch on Twitter and Facebook, and sign up for the free daily newsletter here.