FIRST TEAM ALL PAC-10 PLAYER NAMED
NEW DIRECTOR OF CYO ATHLETICS

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

November 30, 2005

CONTACT: Patricia Evans • 415.972.1295 • pevans@cccyo.org

San Francisco, CA ­ It was announced today that former First Team All Pac-10 player and 3-year Team Captain Courtney Johnson has been appointed to the new post of Director of CYO Athletics for Catholic Charities CYO (CCCYO).

Johnson grew up in Antioch, California, where she played on CYO basketball teams. She attended UC Berkeley on a full sports scholarship, receiving a BA in Sociology and a MA in Education with an emphasis on Athletic Administration. Courtney was also voted Team MVP for two years.

CCCYO Executive Director Brian Cahill explains “CYO athletics are not just about the final score. They’re about positive coaching, sportsmanship for children and their parents, learning to live together in a diverse community, maximizing talents, and fostering the physical, intellectual, emotional and spiritual strength in each of us. Cahill continues, “Courtney’s leadership abilities and professional qualifications are the perfect match for CYO as we enter this very exciting time of growth in CYO programs.”

Johnson has served as the Director of the California Interscholastic Federation in Oakland since 2003, where she directed all educational programs and presented the curriculum to administrators, coaches and parents, and was the Director of their Youth Clinic for State Basketball Championships. Additionally, Courtney was the liaison for volleyball, tennis and golf championships.

"I'm very excited about this opportunity with Catholic Charities CYO so that I may combine my love for athletics with my passion for programs that impact youth in a positive way,” Courtney explains. “I believe in the foundation that athletics gives young people to promote a healthy lifestyle, and I'm honored to be able to create and secure outlets for kids in promoting this way of life."

CCCYO Director of Parish & Community Response and CYO Athletics Mary Schembri adds “Not only will Courtney be leading our CYO Athletics programs, but she will also be working to enhance and grow these strong and vital programs within parishes and community centers.”

Courtney Johnson will begin her new position as CYO Athletics Director on December 5.

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Catholic Charities CYO is one of the largest non-profit providers of social services in the Bay Area. Our mission is to serve and advocate for the poor, the sick, the distressed, children, youth, families, immigrants and seniors, regardless of their faith. All money contributed to Catholic Charities CYO directly supports our programs in San Francisco, Marin and San Mateo Counties.

Founded in 1907 to care for the orphans of the San Francisco earthquake, Catholic Charities is an agency of the San Francisco Archdiocese, yet operates as an independent non-profit organization, and does not in any way contribute to or receive funds from the church.