The Gardens Casino in Hawaiian Gardens Helps Keep Kids Off the Streets and on the Pitch

By Cristian Rodriguez, Former Hall of Fame Rugby Player, Alternative to Gang Membership Alumni and Current Neighborhood Counselor for the City of Hawaiian Gardens

Many people see local cardrooms as a place to enjoy gaming, live music, or special events. I see them differently, especially now, as proposed regulations threaten the very community programs these cardrooms help sustain. Growing up in Hawaiian Gardens, I learned firsthand that places like The Gardens Casino are a critical part of our community, helping fund programs that keep kids engaged, active, and away from gangs.

I first got involved with rugby through the Hawaiian Gardens Eagles Youth Rugby Program, part of the city’s Alternative to Gang Membership (ATGM) initiative. ATGM provides elementary, junior high, and high school students with alternatives to gang involvement. Through sports, field trips, homework assistance, and educational excursions, students learn the value of healthy choices, education, and community.

The rugby program started in 2006, founded by now Councilmember Ernie Vargas as a simple way to keep kids off the streets and onto the pitch. I am proud to be one of the program’s alumni and now its coach. Playing rugby through ATGM changed my life. I earned a scholarship to Lindenwood University, helping lead the team to three consecutive USA Rugby Collegiate Sevens titles and back-to-back Collegiate Rugby Championship titles.

The Gardens Casino has been instrumental in making experiences like mine possible for today’s youth. Beyond contributing to the city’s general fund, the casino directly sponsors our rugby team, covering trips and special events. Recent trips to Utah, funded by the casino, allowed many of our players to leave California for the first time, attend a large tournament, and even enjoy a steakhouse meal, experiences that opened their eyes to possibilities beyond their neighborhood.

Thanks to Ernie Vargas’ vision and the Garden’s support, the program has grown to serve over 75 youth, in boys’ and girls’ divisions from under-12 to under-18. The city covers registration fees for participants, but the sponsorship from the Gardens Casino allows us to expand opportunities, reward hard work, and give kids something to strive for.

It’s important to recognize that programs like ATGM are vulnerable. Harmful regulations aimed at cardrooms could dramatically reduce the funding that keeps these programs alive. Without the revenue from the Gardens Casino, we could lose the ability to sponsor trips, pay for uniforms, cover registration fees, and provide enriching experiences that give kids a reason to stay in school and out of gangs. What might seem like a small regulatory change could have a ripple effect, limiting opportunities for the very youth these programs are meant to serve.

Cardrooms may be entertainment to some, but in Hawaiian Gardens, they are a lifeline for programs that keep kids engaged and off the streets. Without the Gardens Casino helping support our rugby program, we could not provide the experiences, trips, and opportunities that shape our youth into leaders, athletes, and positive contributors to the community.

I am grateful for the partnership between our city, Ernie Vargas, and the Gardens Casino. It has given countless kids a reason to stay on the pitch, in school, and out of gangs. Protecting this partnership is critical to ensuring the next generation of Hawaiian Gardens youth has the same opportunities I did.