Angels game a reward for high gang-risk students

Anti Ciang Challenge recognizes 1,900 for improving grades, behavior. It is not easy to take on a challenge saying, I can do it, but that s exactly what Kobe, an eighth-grader from Santiago Charter Middle School in Orange, told himself when he took the Angels Anti-Gang Challenge. My goals for myself are to always be better, he said, smiling. Robe was one of 1,900 elementary and middle schoolers from across Orange County who attended the 7-3 victory over the Tampa Bay Rays on Monday at Angel Stadium to celebrate improved grades, attendance and behavior as a part of a countywide challenge for at-risk students. The Orange County Gang Reduction and Intervention Partnership identified at-risk students in. January and challenged them to stay out of gangs and improve school performance, attending the game as a VIP was their reward. Angels Vice President of communications Tim Mead opened the stadium early for those who completed the challenge. Inside, students heard words ond former players and coaches including Role Calhoun, Hector Santiago and Gary DiSarcina. To see 1,900 kids with their eyes wide open and looking at a Major League Baseball player or the ballpark, seeing the volunteer time of all the people involved, you realize there is a long-term benefit to the community here that I think we can never measure, Mead said. Students also heard inspiring stories from Sunburst Youth Challenge Academy cadets and Clay Zamperini, grandson of Louis Zamperini, the real-life World War II hero who was profiled in the film Unbroken. The messages were simple: It s never too late to change, do what s right, dream big and don