Dolphins' Carey, others help youth football leagues

The Florida Youth Athletic Association has garnered support from heavy-hitters -- Wal-Mart, Pepsi-Cola, Joe DiMaggio Children's Hospital and Miami Dolphins' offensive tackle Vernon Carey, a former University of Miami standout -- to host several events that help fund and build corporate awareness for youth athletic leagues throughout Florida.

• FLYAA will tee off the festivities on Friday, July 17 with a golf tournament at Orangebrook Country Club in Hollywood. Carey is hosting the tournament which will raise funds to support youth parks throughout Florida. Tee-off is 11 a.m. and will convene with a media roundtable for community sports writers. The event is sponsored by the Hollywood Police Department.

• FLYAA and Joe DiMaggio's Children Hospital will host the third Making Our Fields Safe Injury Prevention Training program on July 25 in Hollywood. Youth coaches will learn injury prevention techniques and other physical rehabilitation techniques to prevent youth injuries. At the conclusion, each coach will receive certificates for participation in each training component. This event is open to all football and cheerleading coaches affiliated with FLYAA.

• FLYAA is a non-profit charitable foundation, comprised of many individual youth athletic leagues whose goal is to assist in funding youth sports organizations. FLYAA sponsors more than 42,000 youth athletes, age 4-15, in Florida.

FLYAA anticipates reaching more than 100,000 youth in the next three years by including participation in the following youth organized sports: baseball, lacrosse and roller hockey and coed sports such as basketball, soccer and softball.

Visit flyaa.org.



(miamiherald.com)