LAYSL Receives Youth Sports Grant for New Equipment

(Steve Laurent, Los Alamos Community Foundation Executive Director presents a ceremonial check to Susie Schillaci, Los Alamos Youth Soccer League Girls Competitive Coordinator, and other adult and youth representatives of LAYSL)

Serving hundreds of kids each year means the Los Alamos Youth Soccer League (LAYSL) has a lot of equipment to maintain and replace. Fortunately, LAYSL recently received a $500 competitive grant from the Los Alamos Community Foundation to support the League’s equipment needs. The grant is funded by the Los Alamos Community Youth Sports Endowment established by Paul and Jill Cook with the purpose of supporting competitive youth sports in Los Alamos.

Susie Schillaci, Girls Competitive Coordinator, said that their goal is to provide all coaches and teams with equipment that is in good condition and is appropriate for each level.

Our intention is to use the LACF grant for purchasing balls,” said Schillaci. “We spend about $2,000 annually on soccer balls to support our recreational and competitive programs for ages 5-18. We have over 500 participants annually between Fall and Spring season.”

Schillaci added that the “generous grant will go a long way in helping LAYSL reach our goal of supporting kids, coaches, and the soccer programs within the League.”

The primary mission of the Los Alamos Youth Soccer League (LAYSL) and its associated Los Alamos Football Club is to provide a high-quality, safe, and fun opportunity for the youth of Los Alamos and the surrounding area to learn the “beautiful game” at a modest cost.

LAYSL is interested in creating lifelong soccer players and fans of the game. We want kids of all ages and abilities on the pitch playing. The League strives to teach players the individual technical skills needed to play the game and a fundamental tactical understanding of how to play. Players learn life skills including responsibility, commitment, discipline, sportsmanship, and teamwork.

About the Los Alamos Community Foundation: Established in 2015, the mission of the Los Alamos Community Foundation is to build enduring philanthropy to empower our community’s nonprofit organizations. LACF stewards fifteen permanent endowment funds and supports local nonprofits through training, initiatives and grantmaking. For more information about the Los Alamos Community Foundation, visit www.losalamoscf.org.