On Wednesday, July 21, the Los Angeles Rams hosted a free football and cheer clinic for elementary and middle school students at the Robert F. Kennedy UCLA Community School. The clinic was the second of three clinics the Rams hosted in partnership with the L.A. Education Recovery Fund and their Summer of Joy initiative.
"The L.A. Education Recovery Fund is a collective philanthropic effort that's focused on how to help our kids make up for what was lost during the pandemic and help them thrive," said Marshall Tuck, Head of the L.A. Education Recovery Fund. "We are raising funds for nonprofit organizations to help provide services to our kids and bringing partners together to create great experiences for our young people."
At the clinic, the L.A. Education Recovery Fund, managed by Great Public Schools Now, announced its partnership with the Rams, Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD, Los Angeles Sports Council, and other Los Angeles professional sports organizations. The partnership provides low-income students in-person, joy-filled experiences during this critical summer before students go back to school.
"Today is all about youth," said Johnathan Franklin, Rams Director of Social Justice and Football Development. "It goes beyond football and it's really about stepping up for our youth. These past 16 months have been tough for the students during this pandemic. With the clinics, we are able to get them outdoors and pour into them by showing them that we believe in them and their futures. We will do whatever we can to support them."
During the two-hour clinic, students participated in football-related drills and competitions while Rams Cheerleaders led youth cheer clinic participants in warm-up exercises and a choreographed dance routine.
The Summer of Joy initiative will serve an estimated 1,500 students at LAUSD campuses throughout Los Angeles. The other participating sports organizations include LAFC, Dodgers, Chargers, Galaxy, Kings, Sparks and Ready, Set, Gold!.
To learn more about the Rams community outreach efforts, please visit www.therams.com/community.