Los Angeles will be hosting both the 2028 Summer Olympics and Summer Paralympics. If you're not too familiar with the Paralympics, KNX Hero alum Clayton Frech says you'll soon have a chance to check out some of the events associated with them.
Frech is the founder and CEO of Angel City Sports, a nonprofit based in L.A. that provides year-round adaptive sports opportunities for kids, adults, and veterans with physical disabilities or visual impairments.
On March 29th and 30th, the organization will host its second annual youth weekend, an event designed to introduce children with disabilities or impairments to adaptive sports. "Participants will enjoy sports clinics, while families and friends are encouraged to join in the fun!" the website says.
Angel City Sports and Clayton Frech
Frech tells Hores Host Heather Jordan that the weekend is an excellent way for everyone to come together, with a special emphasis on kids and their families new to the community who might feel a little intimidated.
"Everyone's in a different place in their journey," Frech said. So, the youth weekend is an inviting environment "Where they can just be around kids of similar age and some similar disabilities." It also helps raise confidence in a child who may be hesitant to take part in a sport like wheelchair basketball or blind soccer.
Angel City Sports and Clayton Frech
Frech said that ultimately, it's all about helping the kids grow. "I want to encourage kids to interact with adults with disabilities because they're going to find a whole other level of empathy and understanding from adults that they're not getting normally," he said. "They can learn a lot from folks who are farther along in their journey, who are competing, active, and socially engaged."
Angel City Sports and Clayton Frech
"This community is unlike anything I've ever experienced in my life. I didn't know this kind of love and empathy and kindness existed, but it does," Frech said.
Angel City Sports has been Frech's passion project for over a decade. His son Ezra is a two-time Paralympic gold medalist from the '24 Paris Games. Frech says he's driven by the spark that comes when a person finds out they can do more.
Angel City Sports has also added a youth summer camp in San Diego, expanding their impact.
To register for this year's youth weekend and learn all about Angel City Sports, click HERE.
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