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OBYFA Football

Now in its 14th season, the Orange Bowl Youth Football Alliance, presented by Sports Authority, visited four sites as part of its Park of the Week program. The Orange Bowl YFA Park of the Week program recognizes select youth football parks across South Florida each Saturday during the fall.

The opening Park of the Week schedule for the 2012 season included visits to the Miami Springs Hawks (Miami Springs Rec. Center), Doral Broncos (Doral Meadows Park), Miami Lakes Jaguars (Royal Oaks Park), Ives Estates Thunder (Ives-Estates Park). At each Park of the Week location, Orange Bowl Committee staff members presented each park with a commemorative plaque and a financial contribution for park improvements and distributed promotional items and discounts from official Orange Bowl YFA sponsors.

To enhance the 2012 Park of the Week program, the Orange Bowl YFA honored select youth football team supporters with a $50 Marathon Petroleum and Urbieta Oil Co. gas cards as well as POWERADE beach coolers. Sports Authority recognized coaches at each park presenting them with a Sports Authority Coaches’ Kit that includes additional equipment and supplies for players and coaches.

Since its inception in 1999, the Orange Bowl has invested approximately $5 million and countless volunteer hours in youth sports across South Florida. In addition to its continued support of the Orange Bowl YFA, the Orange Bowl supports locally-based festivals and events, including those that provide participatory opportunities to youth, such as Junior Orange Bowl, Orange Bowl Sailing Regatta Series and Orange Bowl International Tennis Championships.

Along with Orange Bowl YFA presenting sponsor Sports Authority, additional sponsors include American Airlines, Doctors Hospital, Florida Blue, Frito-Lay, FSFlorida / Sun Sports, Hampton Farms, Marathon Petroleum, Urbieta Oil Co., MetroPCS, Nike, POWERADE, Sparkling ICE, Sun Life Stadium & The Miami Dolphins, The Miami Herald, Toyota and Wells Fargo.

For information about the Orange Bowl Committee and the Orange Bowl Youth Football Alliance, visit www.orangebowl.org.

Dolphins Football Camp

The Miami Dolphins finished their Summer Junior Training Camp at the Miami Dolphins Training Facility (Bubble) in Davie.

Throughout August, the Dolphins invited more than 40 organizational groups throughout Broward and Miami-Dade to watch practices at the training facility prior to participating in the summer JTC. In addition, the groups had an opportunity to receive autographs from Dolphins players following practice.

“The kids and staff were amazing at our junior training camps,” said Twan Russell, director of Youth & Community Programs for the Miami Dolphins. “The kids had an opportunity to participate in a variety of drills and listened to life lessons while meeting some of their favorite Dolphin players prior to our camp. I hope the kids enjoyed their experience.”

The Miami Dolphins Youth Programs’ mission is to emphasize the importance of education, physical fitness and positive choices for kids in a safe and fun environment.

Lester Alexander, a representative for Sunny Isles Beach, said: “Our group was very impressed with the Dolphins’ organization and what they do for the youth in the community. Words cannot express the genuine excitement of our kids before, during and after the training camp experience. The educational component was motivational and very well presented. As someone who has been in the community service profession for over 10 years, I am thoroughly impressed with the Dolphins youth community service efforts”