LetsGiveThemaShot.org

What's At Stake

"If children don't learn the ABCs, they can't read. And if they don't learn basic motor skills they won't participate in sports or exercise." - Jackie Goodway, Associate Professor of physical activity and educational services at Ohio State University

A study appearing in the March issue of the journal Research Quarterly for Exercise and Sport, finds that the vast majority of underprivileged preschoolers who were tested scored below the 30th percentile of children across the U.S. That ranking is considered developmentally disabled.

• An article published in the L.A. Times, goes on to describe the study, stating: "The boys and girls were given standardized motor skill tests, both for locomotor ability (running, jumping, skipping, leaping) and object control skills (throwing, kicking, rolling, catching). Average scores for both skill tests showed 86% of the children had developmental delays at or below the 30th percentile. article"

"These fundamental motor skills -- running and catching and throwing and kicking -- are the movement ABCs," said Goodway, lead author of the study. And if they don't learn basic motor skills they won't participate in sports or exercise. That's the problem we may be facing with the children in this study."

Derek Locklear, owner of Coach Derek Inc., founded Let’s Give Them a Shot with the vision of creating a program that would serve underprivileged children in at-risk neighborhoods in the Los Angeles area.

Let’s Give Them a Shot uses sports, competition and positive reinforcement as a vehicle to teach valuable life lessons and basic values such as self-esteem, compassion, teamwork and community.

Our Vision

How it Began

The vision for the program is to teach fundamental sports instruction in Baseball, Basketball, Tennis, Softball, Soccer, Football & T-Ball to children ages
2-14 in areas where children would otherwise not have the means to participate in this type of class.

We are working closely with community leaders in different Los Angeles County cities to offer these classes directly in the community.

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Why We Care

Our Hope

Let's Give Them a Shot is expanding the program to go into even more schools and recreation centers. We need funding to provide coaches and equipment to these groups.
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Childhood Obesity

Let's Give Them a Shot also gives kids who may not be as physically active a chance to get in the habit of playing sports and exercising, which can benefit their emotional and physical well-being lifelong. Read More

Equipment Drive

Due to low resources and limited funds this at-risk population is missing what every child deserves; to have which is an opportunity to learn and play with quality instruction and equipment. Read More

The Need

Did You Know that within at-risk youth ...

• 18.9% of students live in poverty.
• 12% of Seniors report illicit drug use.
• Nearly 1,000,000 teens pregnant yearly.
• 26% of Seniors are below basic reading levels.
• 36% of Seniors are below basic math level.
• 1.2 milllion students drop out annually.
• Abuse cases to CPS: 3,000,000 annually.

Our Mission

Through coaching and exposure to the “Coach Derek way”, Derek was confident he could be a positive influence in these children’s lives.

The Let's Give Them a Shot program subscribes to the belief that teaching the fundamentals of each sport enriches children at all levels, ages and skills.

The program strives to use sports to build the child’s character in a positive, healthy and familiar environment within their community.

Let's Give Them a Shot is a non-profit organization that helps kids get the sports instruction they need regardless of whether or not they can afford it. Derek Locklear's goal is to teach and reach as many children as he can through sports.

When Coach Derek started Let's Give Them a Shot he was sure about only one thing.. the population of the child. This population was the poor, the underprivileged, the disenfranchised, the lower economic. There is a church and a liquor store of every corner of this ghetto because they both sell 'hope'...

Let's Give Them a Shot was designed to give hope to as many children as possible through sports programs that build a healthy spirit, mind and body.