Gage Elementary School and the San Diego Chargers jointly cut the ceremonial ribbon Wednesday and opened the school's new $26,000 "Neuronasium". The Neuronasium was built with a grant awarded in 2015 by Chargers Champions, a program of the San Diego Chargers.
Since the inception of the Chargers Champions program in 2000, the Spanos family has donated close to $5.5 million to San Diego's schools and students. The program provides greater financial support for San Diego-area schools than any other private company in San Diego County. The program has benefitted more than 100 local schools.
"We want kids to receive access to the best nutrition and fitness programs available, but schools can't do it alone," said Chargers President-Business Operations A.G. Spanos. "They need support from the business community and we're proud to be able to do our part through the Chargers Champions program."
Chargers Champions is committed to improving physical fitness in San Diego County schools by providing grants for new facilities and equipment.
"Thanks to the Chargers Champion Grant, we have this great opportunity to develop an active fitness lab designed specifically for young students using a kinesthetic tactile approach to anchor academic concepts," said Cindi Elrod, physical education teacher and Chargers Champions grant writer at Gage Elementary. "Gage students will now be engaged in innovative ways to improve their health fitness and academic performance."
The Chargers Community Foundation is now accepting applications for the Chargers Champions School Grant Program. Applications can be accessed here and must be postmarked by Friday, April 22, 2016.
In 2015, seven San Diego County schools received grants to improve physical fitness, athletic or nutrition programs on school campuses.
| Granite Hills High School | $65,000 | Weight room |
| Sweetwater High School | $63,000 | Weight room & football equipment |
| DePortola Middle School | $40,000 | Rock wall & fitness equipment |
| Laurel Elementary School | $30,000 | Running track |
| Gage Elementary School | $26,000 | Neuronasium & fitness equipment |
| San Elijo Middle School | $16,000 | Patch course |
| Porter Elementary School | $10,000 | Fitness equipment |
Funds allocated to Chargers Champions are administered through the Chargers Community Foundation, the San Diego Chargers' charitable foundation. The Foundation was established in 1995 by Dean and Alex Spanos to help San Diego build on its strengths by supporting individuals, activities and organizations that work to make the city a better place to live.
