Liberty Mutual Insurance Celebrates Responsibility In Youth Sports By Awarding $2,500 Grants To 15 Sports Organizations And Schools

BOSTON, June 19, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Youth sports organizations and schools appreciate every penny when it comes to shoestring athletic budgets.  For many organizations, a lack of funding has resulted in poorly maintained facilities, aged and possibly unsafe equipment, or insufficient resources to enable all families to participate.  To address this local need, Liberty Mutual Insurance created the Responsible Sports™ grants program with Positive Coaching Alliance (PCA) in 2007, offering organizations and school athletic programs the opportunity to earn funds by championing a community-wide commitment to sportsmanship and responsibility in youth sports.

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Today, Liberty Mutual announces 15 schools and youth sports teams or leagues to each earn $2,500 Responsible Sports grants.  These organizations successfully rallied their communities to participate in an online course on mentoring and responsibility in youth sports for coaches and parents at ResponsibleSports.com.  Each successful course completion earned a credit for a designated organization and these groups garnered the highest level of participation, based on population size, to earn $2,500 grants:

Large Organizations (100+ players)

• Cincinnati United Soccer Club; Cincinnati, Ohio
• Idaho Rush Soccer; Boise, Idaho
• Johnson City Little League; Johnson City, N.Y.
• Northwest Disc Association; Seattle, Wash.
• Rocklin Youth Soccer; Rocklin, Calif.

Small Organizations (Less than 100 players)

• Hudson Falls Youth Football; Hudson Falls, N.Y.
• Little River Youth Athletic Association; Lenoir, N.C.
• No Limits Track Club; Hammond, Ind.
• Potomac Speedskating Club; Arlington, Va.
• Tachyon Track Club; Grayson, Ga.

School Athletic Programs

• Loganville Christian Academy; Loganville, Ga.
• Miami Senior High School; Miami, Fla.
• Norwell High School; Norwell, Mass.
• Sandy Ridge Elementary School; Waxhaw, N.C.
• Terrace Community Middle School; Thonotosassa, Fla.

"Liberty Mutual Insurance celebrates these 15 organizations and schools for the values and positive experiences of youth sports they are promoting in their communities," said Greg Gordon, Liberty Mutual Insurance senior vice president, Consumer Marketing.  "Responsibility in sports at this level is crucial to shaping youth experiences and teaching life lessons, and we applaud these groups for their commitment and dedication."

Liberty Mutual Insurance now has awarded more than $500,000 in Responsible Sports funding to more than 150 organizations and schools since 2007.  Liberty Mutual will make another round of 15 grants available this fall; with youth sports groups eligible to compete for $2,500 in funding beginning September 1.

Nominate a Responsible Sports Moment of 2012

For the second year, Liberty Mutual and PCA are searching for demonstrations of the power, impact and inherent goodness at the youth sports and amateur sports levels with the "Top 10 Responsible Sports Moments" of 2012.  Now through November 15, coaches and parents can nominate a moment that celebrate the positive values that sports instill in young people at www.ResponsibleSports.com or by visiting program's Facebook page, www.Facebook.com/ResponsibleSports. 

A panel of sports experts will select the 2012 "Top 10 Responsible Sports Moments," including PCA Founder and Chief Executive Officer Jim Thompson, and leaders of Responsible Sports partner organizations.  The ten organizations represented by the Responsible Sports Moments of the year will be honored in December by Liberty Mutual Insurance with a charitable donation of $1,000. 

About the Liberty Mutual Responsible Sports Program

The Liberty Mutual Responsible Sports program, created in partnership with Positive Coaching Alliance, the Amateur Softball Association, USA Hockey, US Youth Soccer, the American Youth Soccer Organization and USA Wrestling – provides resources for parents and coaches at www.responsiblesports.com to help children reap the full benefits of playing a team sport.  The online community incorporates blogs, videos, and podcasts on youth sports topics that provide practical, real-world advice.  Parents and coaches also can complete coursework that offers best practices for handling challenging sports scenarios.

About Liberty Mutual Insurance

"Helping people live safer, more secure lives" since 1912, Boston-based Liberty Mutual Insurance is a diversified global insurer and the third largest property and casualty insurer in the U.S. based on 2011 net premiums written as reported by the National Association of Insurance Commissioners.  Liberty Mutual Insurance also ranks 84^th on the Fortune 100 list of largest U.S. corporations, based on 2011 revenue.  The company employs over 45,000 people in more than 900 offices throughout the world.

The eighth-largest auto and home insurer in the U.S., Liberty Mutual (libertymutual.com) sells full lines of coverage for automobile, homeowners, valuable possessions, personal liability, and individual life insurance.  The company is an industry leader in affinity partnerships, offering car and home insurance to employees and members of more than 14,000 companies, credit unions, professional associations and alumni groups.

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