INGHAM COUNTY, Mich. — A former treasurer is now under investigation for allegedly stealing from a kids’ sports program in Webberville, while local law enforcement plans a fundraiser to help the organization recover.

• The former treasurer of the Webberville Junior Athletic Association is accused of embezzling over $20,000.
• The alleged embezzlement occurred over a six-year period, according to the Ingham County Sheriff’s Office.
• Local law enforcement is organizing a fundraiser on August 23 to help the nonprofit recover.

I spoke with local law enforcement about the investigation and their efforts to help the program.

WATCH: Former treasurer accused of embezzling from Webberville youth sports organization

Former treasurer accused of stealing over $20,000 from Webberville youth sports program

According to Captain Andrew Daenzer at the Ingham County Sheriff’s Office, the former treasurer of the nonprofit, Webberville Junior Athletic Association, is accused of stealing thousands from them and using it for herself.

“The former treasurer actually came to the other members of the board and admitted to embezzling some of the funds,” Daenzer said.

This admission led to the Sheriff’s Office launching an investigation.

“Our sheriff’s office, deputy, and detective bureau are looking into exactly how much money was taken,” Daenzer said.

He tells me the woman is accused of embezzling more than $20,000 over a six-year period. He says the money was supposed to be used for concession stand items for youth sports events in the community.

“The organization is very low on funds,” Daenzer said.

With that being said, Daenzer tells me local law enforcement took it upon themselves to help raise money for the nonprofit.

“We have a deputy with a huge heart that happens to be assigned to the Webberville area,” Daenzer said.

The fundraiser is at Magic Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu on August 23, and he says everything that is raised will go to the association.

“He feels bad for these kids, like I think we all do,” Daenzer said.

I reached out to the Webberville Junior Athletic Association for a comment, and they said the board members don’t want to comment at this time because it’s an active investigation.

In the meantime, Daenzer tells me the detectives will soon submit the case to the Ingham County Prosecutor’s Office for review, but if anyone has information, they’re asked to contact Detective Kelly Bowden at 517-676-8253.

Here is more information regarding the fundraiser:

August 23 from 1–3 p.m. at Magic BJJ, located at 2824 East Grand River Avenue, Suite E, in Lansing.

This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.

Want more FOX 47 News? Here’s how you download our Roku app

How to download FOX 47 News on your Roku device

You can also see the latest news from across our mid-Michigan neighborhoods by liking us on Facebook or following us on X.

THOUSAND OAKS, California  — Jaime Jaquez Jr., who is preparing for his third season in the NBA with the Miami Heat, and his sister Gabriela Jaquez, a standout player for the UCLA Bruins and the Mexican national basketball team, set aside their own workouts to lead others through some familiar drills.

The siblings recently hosted a summer camp for about 180 participants ages 6 to 16 at the Sports Academy facilities in Thousand Oaks. The three-hour camp aimed to promote basketball skills, discipline and a passion for the sport among children and teens. Some participants traveled from other states to attend the camp.

“It’s good to come back and give something back to the community, especially in a place where we grew up. Being able to do this is special,” said Jaime, who grew up in Camarillo, shone for four years at UCLA and has represented Mexico in international tournaments.

Gabriela Jaquez teaches camp participants how to shoot a basket.

(Nash Boorman, Courtesy of Electrolit)

During the event, Jaime recalled his childhood playing basketball “from dawn to dusk” on the local courts in his hometown.

The camp was also a source of inspiration for families.

“It’s exciting to see Latino players succeed, one in the NBA and another possibly in the WNBA,” said Armando Castillas of Oxnard, who attended the camp with his children, Logan, 6, and Emma, 10.

In addition to leading the camp, the Jaquez siblings are focused on their upcoming professional challenges.

Jaime is looking for a season of redemption after a difficult year with the Heat, having been named to the all-rookie team 2023–24.

“It has always been my goal to win championships,” said Jaime, who noted that he preferred to focus entirely on improving with the Heat before making any commitments to the Mexican national team.

For her part, Gabriela recently returned from competing in the 2025 FIBA AmeriCup in Chile with the Mexican national team. In the tournament, Mexico faced the United States, Brazil, Colombia, Puerto Rico, Chile, and the Dominican Republic. Gabriela averaged 12 points per game, ranking as the 10th-best scorer in the tournament, and was recognized as the Rising Star of the competition. She had previously played for Mexico, which also helped her adapt to FIBA’s physical style of play and perform better with UCLA.

“It was an excellent opportunity. Playing at that level helped me a lot, especially physically,” said the 6-foot guard, who looks forward to her third season with the Bruins.

“I’m extremely proud to see her play for Mexico. I hope she can continue on that path and keep growing,” Jaime said of his sister.

Both players are now preparing for their respective seasons with clear goals: Jaime is looking to take the Heat further in the playoffs, while Gabriela has her sights set on a national championship with UCLA.

A group of children with Jaime Jaquez Jr. and Gabriela Jaquez during the UCLA siblings’ camp.

(Nash Boorman, Courtesy of Electrolit)

“The goal is to win championships with UCLA,” Gabriela said. “We’ve already made it to the Final Four, and I think we have the talent to go even further.”

This article first appeared in Spanish via L.A. Times en Español.

If you ask a room full of youth sport coaches why they do this work, they’ll almost always talk about the kids — their growth, their development, the lessons they learn through sport. But while these goals are widely shared, the systems we’ve built around coaches are fragmented and inadequate. We know that sport can help young people grow into capable, confident and caring adults, but we need to be much more intentional about how we support coaches in fostering athlete development.

That’s where positive youth development (PYD) comes in. PYD emphasizes creating environments that are supportive, welcoming and strengths-based, where young people can build meaningful relationships, feel a sense of belonging and develop the skills they need to thrive. As Lerner, Lerner, Bowers and Geldhof make clear in their framing piece — “Positive youth development and relational developmental systems” — the core idea is that all young people, regardless of background, have the potential to grow and succeed when they are in the right settings, surrounded by the right people.

Sport is one of those settings. At its best, sport can offer a uniquely powerful environment for young people to learn about teamwork, perseverance, leadership and goal setting. Research has shown that participation in sports can be linked to a wide range of positive outcomes, including better physical and mental health and stronger social skills. In their study “Staff practices and social skill outcomes in a sport-based youth program,” Allison Riley and colleagues found that their program led to improvements in youth self-control, for example. And Tarkington Newman, in the study, “Life skill development and transfer: They’re not just meant for playing sports,” found that youth athletes developed and transferred a variety of intra- and interpersonal life skills like effort, personal responsibility, teamwork, respect and social responsibility.

Courtesy of Jessy Newman

Jessy Newman

But these outcomes aren’t guaranteed. What matters most, according to Albert Petitpas and colleagues’ “Framework for planning youth sport programs that foster psychosocial development,” is how sport is coached and experienced. With the right approach, any sport can help young people build skills and character. Without thoughtful planning and intentional practices, however, sport can just as easily reinforce harmful behaviors like hyper-competitiveness, exclusion and the win-at-all-costs mindset that many families, coaches and even young athletes themselves have come to expect.

Too often, sport falls short of its potential not because coaches don’t care, but because they don’t have the tools, support or guidance to do things differently. In their study, “Volunteer youth sport coaches’ perspectives of coaching education/certification and parental codes of conduct,” Lenny Wiersma and Clay Sherman found that many youth sport coaches are volunteers, often parents, who may not have formal training in youth development or even in coaching. Findings from the first-ever National Coach Survey led by Dawn Anderson-Butcher and Samantha Bates reveal that coaches may lack the confidence and support needed to move beyond the X’s and O’s of sport. Coaches may bring heart and commitment, but they often operate within a system that doesn’t always prioritize developmental outcomes much less provide the training and education that supports PYD practice.

Changing that mindset means focusing on what high-quality, developmentally enriching sport actually looks like. It means ensuring that young people feel seen and heard. That their coaches know how to build trusting relationships. That practice is a space for dialogue, reflection and growth, as much as it is for drills and competition.

Importantly, PYD in sport also emphasizes access and inclusion. Critical scholars like Jill Kochanek and Karl Erickson, for example, have called for youth sport to be more welcoming and responsive, especially for young people who have historically been left out or faced barriers to participation. Taking an approach that is mindful of these barriers isn’t just the right thing to do — it’s essential for making sport truly developmental for all youth, not just some.

[Related: In learning ECOsystems OST must be a champion of positive youth development]

This work isn’t easy. It requires investment in systems-level alignment across the sport ecosystem, program design and coach training. It means shifting mindsets from a narrow focus on performance to a broader view of what success looks like. And it means building organizational and community capacity to support this shift — because coaches alone can’t carry the weight of system change. These ideas have been the driving force behind the work of the Million Coaches Challenge, a coalition of 18 organizations committed to training one million coaches in PYD and related areas by the end of 2025. The partner organizations of the MCC offer coach education and training in these areas for coaches who want to engage in or deepen their PYD practice, and a practice guide synthesizing lessons learned from the MCC is forthcoming later this year (stay connected to receive updates).

Youth sport holds enormous promise — but only if we’re willing to do the work to realize it. When sport is grounded in the principles of PYD, it becomes more than just a game. It becomes a space where young people feel safe, supported and challenged to grow. A place where they can take risks, bounce back from failure and discover who they are. And that’s something every child deserves. By centering youth development, investing in people and building systems that support youth athletes and their coaches, we can ensure that sport lives up to its potential as a powerful force for good in young people’s lives.

***

Jessy Newman is a senior researcher at the American Institutes for Research (AIR), where she leads applied studies focused on youth development in out-of-school time settings, including afterschool, summer, and youth sport. Her work bridges research and practice to help programs create the conditions where young people can develop the skills, relationships and opportunities they need to succeed.

[Related Grant Opportunity: Grants to create/renovate youth sports spaces in underserved communities]

Kidokinetics SW Cleveland aims to help children discover a love for physical activity while building important skills.

The program, co-owned by Marilyn Roller and her daughter Addison, introduces children ages 2 to 10 to more than 15 different sports through structured sessions held at recreation centers, early learning facilities and after-school programs across Lorain and Cuyahoga counties.

“We’re an active family and we wanted to create something that lets kids try new things while building skills and having fun,” Roller said.

Classes are offered in four-week sessions.

Each session begins with circle time warm-ups, incorporating stretches, yoga moves and themed activities to get children moving, she said.

“We put a lot of thought into our lesson planning,” Roller said. “We work on speed, agility, physical literacy and even things like hopping with two feet, which a lot of kids can’t do at first.”

Obstacle courses with hurdles, ladders and balance stones are a regular feature, helping participants develop coordination and gross motor skills.

The day’s sport then becomes the focus, Roller said.

In soccer, children practice weaving through cones or aiming at small goals.

Other sports include tennis, football and T-ball, with activities designed to teach core skills while keeping children engaged.

“We tell them they’re all superstars,” Roller said. “It allows them to feel really good about themselves without any pressure.”

Roller said the idea for the program grew from her own experience as a parent.

She said many young athletes are introduced to competitive environments too early, sometimes at just five years of age.

Kidokinetics offers an alternative by allowing children to try multiple sports before committing to one.

“Sometimes, a child will surprise their parents,” Roller said. “We’ve had kids discover they love tennis or another sport the family never expected.”

Kidokinetics SW Cleveland serves communities from Avon to Medina.

Sessions are year-round, with options for evenings, weekends and daytime programs in early learning centers.

Roller said the variety of locations helps make the program accessible to working parents.

“Busy schedules, rising costs and technology are all challenges in getting kids active,” she said. “We keep our program affordable and put it where families already are, so it’s easier for them to participate.”

Roller said parents often share feedback about the social benefits of the program.

She has heard from families of shy children who have become more confident and engaged after participating in the sessions.

“It’s incredibly rewarding to watch them grow,” Roller said. “We do it for them because seeing them proud of themselves is the best feeling in the world.”

For more information, visit https://www.kidokinetics.com/l/swcleveland.

xxxxxx

Submit items for youth and non-varsity high school sports by noon Tuesday for publication Wednesday. Email stories and photos (in .jpg format) to sports@cdapress.com. 

Information: 208-664-8176, Ext. 1205 

    Courtesy photo The Sting U10 girls soccer team competed at the Northwest Cup last weekend at the Spokane Polo Fields. After winning its group to advance to the semifinals, the Sting faced Spokane Shadow Academy in a thrilling match. Regulation ended in a 2-2 tie, sending the game to penalty kicks. The shootout went eight rounds before the Sting narrowly fell. Pictured is Rya Verlanic (13) and Brystol Hayes of the Sting.

    Photo by KATHY STERLING The first tournament weekend for the new season started with the Sting 2016 boys yellow soccer team making it to the semifinals of the 31st annual Northwest Cup located in Airway Heights at the Spokane Shadow Polo Fields. Friday’s morning game was played against the Spokane Shadow Academy B2016 Williamson Team with a Sting win of 4-1 with goals scored by Jaxson Matheney (3) and Arius Bush (1). Friday’s afternoon game was played against the Three Rivers Soccer Club 3RSC B16 Dev Gonzalez Team, with the Sting winning 9-4 with goals scored by Atlas Lepley (4), Jaxson Matheney (3) Lincoln Sargent (1) with a miss kick from opposing team (1). Saturday’s evening game was played against the Legacy SA Olsen Team with a Sting win of 5-2 securing their position in the semifinals game with goals scored by Elijah Cline (3), Atlas Lepley (1) and Giden Lee (1). On Sunday, the Sting lost 4-1 in the semifinals to the Spokane Sounders Shadow Juniors B2016 Van Der Lawson Valley Team. The Sting goal was scored by Atlas Lepley. In the front row from left are Xander Rodriguez, Atlas Lepley, Thomas Ely (keeper) and Arius Bush; and back row from left, Lincoln Sargent, Elijah Cline, Xavier Sousley, Isaak Sterling, Gideon Lee, and Finn Eachon. Not pictured is Jaxson Matheney.

    Courtesy photo The Sting Soccer Club 2015 Boys Black team defeated the Spokane Shadow 2015 Boys Pre-ECNL and the Capital Futbol Club 2015 Boys Black PA teams last weekend at the Northwest Cup in Spokane. The team closed out the tournament earning the silver medal. In the front row from left are Chase Baune, Case Schwarz, Harvey Granier, Bam Bookholtz, Cooper Corbeill, Henry Hermance and Ryker Weeks; and back row from left, coach Ian McKenna, Matt Shandy, Max Spendlove, Beckham Sharbono, Logan Keaggy and coach Kip Sharbono.

    Courtesy photo The 2014 Sting girls soccer team opened its season with a second-place finish at the 31st Northwest Cup last weekend. Sting goals over the weekend were scored by Zoe Verlanic, Emerlyn Neff, Charli Gabriel, Stella Hartzell, Ryan Parks and Hatty Lemmon. In the front from left are goalies Blaire Warren and Ellie Carper; and back row from left, Jolene Tipping, Emerlyn Neff, Charli Gabriel, Emma Thompson, Stella Hartzell, Hatty Lemmon, Avery Doran, Rylan Parks, Zoe Verlanic, Lyla Maestas and Teresa Conaty.

    Courtesy photo The Sting Soccer Club 2013 Girls team took home second place at the 31st annual Northwest Cup in Spokane last weekend. The Sting opened Friday with a loss to Spokane Shadow G13 GA, then bounced back with wins over Snohomish United G13 ECNL RL and Sandpoint Strikers FC G13 on Saturday. The Sting advanced to Sunday’s final, where they fell in a rematch against Spokane Shadow G13 GA. In the front row from left are Myka Haubold, Emma Storlie, Nora Snyder, Alexis Morisette, and Sophia Quigley; middle row from left, Addison Salas, Peyton Cantrell, Nevie Sousley, Nora Schock, Briella Ayers, Presley Hart, Kinsley May and Kaylee Evans; and back row from left, Felicity Miller, Amelia McGowan, Tatum Gillmore, Evellyn Howard, Kyal Carlson and Novalee Hoel.

    Courtesy photo The Sting Girls 2011 soccer team took second place at the Northwest Cup at the Spokane Polo Fields. On Friday, the Sting beat the Washington East Surf 3-0, on goals by Presley Moreau, Payton Brennan and Kylie Lorona. Later Friday, the Sting beat the Spokane Shadow 2010 2-0, as Presley Moreau and Kylie Lorona scored goals. On Saturday night, the Sting lost 1-0 to the Spokane Shadow 2011 girls. On Sunday in the championship, the Sting fell 1-0 to the Shadow 2011 girls. In the front row from left are Giuliana Petrillo, Presley Moreau, Mackenzie Dolan, Emily Hackett, Olivia Hynes, Payton Brennan, Ava Langer and Eloise Elgee; and back row from left, Elle Sousley, Harper Overland, Olivia Nusser, Vivian Hartzell, Constance Ovendale, Lila Moreau, Jillian Speelman, Kylie Lorona and Katlyn Keaggy.