The Child and Youth Services Sports and Fitness Program at White Sands Missile Range is looking for volunteers to help with their sports programs.

Youth sports and fitness program looking for volunteers

The Child and Youth Services Sports and Fitness Program at White Sands Missile Range is looking for volunteers to help with their sports programs.

Isaias Juarez, Youth Sports, and Fitness Director with CYS, oversees all the sports and fitness programming, sports leagues, sports clinics, and any of the fitness activities they implement with other CYS programs and facilities.

He said they also do a lot of sports partnerships with White Sands School.

“We try to offer a variety of sports for the families that live on post,” Juarez said.

One of the sports programs that is going on right now is soccer, which is offered during the fall and spring. They also started offering jiu-jitsu, which is a new initiative.

Other sports programs include archery, which is also offered during the spring and fall.

Juarez said that in a couple of weeks they will also be setting up to offer fencing.

“That’s something we have never done, so we are excited about that.”

They will also be partnering with Holloman Air Force Base for a flag football clinic next month.

Juarez said that volunteers are very important to the program.

“Our program runs off volunteers,” Juarez said. “The more volunteers we have the more programs we can offer. Having a shortage of volunteers can limit what we are able to offer.”

He is looking for anyone who has time and is willing to work with children. Depending on the sport the ages of children can be anywhere from 3 to 14.

Volunteers do not need to have experience in any sport.

“The sports we offer are recreational sports and there is no expertise required to help out,” Juarez said.

He said some of the volunteers that have stepped up to help have no experience in sports and are able to help with some guidance and resources.

“If there is a skill or sport, they feel comfortable with there is probably a need for it and we can definitely use their help,” Juarez said. “If they are willing to learn and try a new sport we can provide them with resources.”

Juarez said most volunteers they have are parents. An incentive for parents is if they volunteer as a head coach their children can play any sport for free.

He said they can take anyone who is able to volunteer.

He said Soldiers can also volunteer and get credit for their volunteer hours.
“We log them into the volunteer registry and they will be recognized for the volunteer hours they contribute.”

For more information and to volunteer call (575) 678-6022.

Juarez said he can meet anyone interested in volunteering at their workplace or anywhere they choose if they cannot come to him.

Juarez has been working with CYS for six years. He is originally from Las Cruces and started his career at WSMR at Bell Gym where he worked for two years before transitioning to CYS.

His background is in sports and fitness. “I grew up playing sports. Fitness is my passion.”

Miriam Rodriguez

WSMR Public Affairs