Building Skills for Life Through Communities and Schools
PHOENIX--(Business Wire)--
Young Champions, one of the nation`s largest and most progressive youth
recreation-instruction organizations, with programs in 16 states teaching more
than 75,000 students, announced today that it has successfully penetrated the
Texas market with a strong presence in Houston. This 2009 milestone marks the
16th state that Young Champions operates within. Uniquely, Young Champions
aligns closely with school districts as part of their community education
programs and with other non-profit organizations, andas such has become a
formidable agent for impacting youth in the communities in which it operates.
Young Champions, with affiliates across 16 states, began as a family business in
1958 with founder and matriarch, Bonnie Hood, teaching baton and twirling using
an innovative model of partnering with school districts. The program grew over
the following decades, with family members branching into different states and
expanding the programs to include karate, dance, cheer and soccer. Young
Champions operates based on the mission "provide high quality youth programs
which help children build skills for life." Young Champions employs almost 1,000
staff between office staff and instructors, and reaches more than 75,000 youth
through its programs. Young Champions will continue to expand its reach as
appropriate and consistent with its goal for maintaining high-quality programs.
"We are committed to offering the highest quality youth programs at the lowest
possible cost while giving back to our communities," said Rory Hood, president
of Young Champions of America, which operates in five states: Arizona, Texas,
Kansas, Missouri and Nebraska. "We are pleased to add Texas to our national
footprint, and continue to be inspired by the opportunity for growth with our
organization."
Within the context of its multi-faceted programs, Young Champions has also
established itself as a leader in safety awareness for youth. Along with general
safety awareness topics such as water, fire, Internet and bully safety, Young
Champions has pioneered Project S.A.F.E. Shield, a systematic process and
program for educating parents and youth on abduction prevention. Taught
extensively through its karate programs, S.A.F.E. Shield is also integrated
within its other programs. "We recognized an opportunity early on to use the
breadth of our programs as a delivery vehicle to teach safety awareness," said
Kraig Hollingworth, vice president of Young Champions of America, and author of
the Project S.A.F.E. Shield program. "We are passionate about the need to
prepare our youth, and the scope of our program gives us the unique opportunity
to make a real difference. Although child abductions are rare, we feel it only
takes one, and one is too many!"
About Young Champions of America
Young Champions is one of the nation`s largest and most progressive youth
recreation-instruction organizations. Its mission is to provide high-quality
youth programs to help children build skills for life and works in partnership
with non-profit organizations to further its mission. Young Champions, still
operating largely as a family business, delivers its karate, dance, cheer and
soccer programs across 16 states: Arizona, California, Texas, Kansas, Missouri,
Michigan, Illinois, Ohio, Indiana, Florida, North Carolina, Nevada, Nebraska,
Wisconsin, Georgia, and Tennessee, and through its programs has also become a
leader in safety awareness for youth. Young Champions employs almost 1,000 staff
between office staff and instructors, and reaches more than 75,000 youth through
its programs. For more information visit us the web at
www.youngchampionsofamerica.org.
Young Champions of America
Rory Hood, 480-603-3789
rory@ycoaoffice.com
Kraig Hollingworth, 480-603-3788
kraig@ycoaoffice.com
Copyright Business Wire 2009
