Partners Celebrate Ribbon Cutting of Refurbished Sports Field Made Possible By NFL Grassroots & SPARK Programs

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
11/13/18

PARTNERS CELEBRATE RIBBON CUTTING OF REFURBISHED SPORTS FIELD MADE POSSIBLE BY NFL GRASSROOTS PROGRAM GRANT & SPARK PROGRAM

YES Prep Gulfton announces renovated Gulfton Neighborhood Field

HOUSTON –YES Prep Public Schools will host a ribbon cutting ceremony on its renovated youth sports field on Tuesday, November 13^th at 5 p.m. at 6565 De Moss Drive. The sports field will accommodate practices, games and campus activities for YES Prep students as well as the broader Gulfton community.

“We are excited about the addition of a new field on our campus”, says Oscar Romano, YES Prep Gulfton School Director. “Our students will have a safe and fun space to socialize, exercise and engage in their athletic pursuits. What’s more, thanks to partnerships with local community organizations, the impact of the field will also benefit the greater Gulfton community. The field will be accessible to the public truly making it a hub for this neighborhood and its families.”

The event will feature Houston LISC Executive Director Amanda Timm, Texans Ambassador Kevin Walter, SPARK School Park Program Executive Director Kathleen Ownby, YES Prep Gulfton School Director Oscar Romano, State Representative Gene Wu, City Council Member for District J Mike Laster, City Planning Department Acting Director Margaret Wallace Brown plus an appearance by the Texans Cheerleaders and the YES Prep Gulfton flag football team, cheerleaders and dance team.

The renovated sports field is made possible by a $100,000 grant from the Houston Texans through the National Football League Foundation Grassroots Program. The grant from the Texans, the NFL Foundation and Local Initiatives Support Corporation (LISC) to YES Prep is part of more than $3 million awarded nationally this year. This NFL Grassroots Program Grant is the 11th awarded in Houston, totaling more than $1 million awarded for field improvement projects in communities across the city.

“The Houston Texans are proud to partner with the NFL and LISC to unveil the renovated sports field at YES Prep which will provide the community a safe place to compete in sports throughout the year,” remarked Jamey Rootes, Houston Texans President. “Our Foundation’s mission is to be Champions for Youth and through this project, we are able to enhance the quality of life for our next generation of leaders.” 

The NFL Foundation/LISC Grassroots Program, a partnership between the NFL Foundation and LISC, the nation’s leading community development support organization, has committed nearly $46 million to the program since 1998, supporting 336 projects nationwide. Fields are newly built or significantly renovated, with improvements including irrigation systems, lights, bleachers, scoreboards, goal posts and turf. LISC identifies local, nonprofit, community-based agencies that have an interest in building or refurbishing football fields in schools and neighborhood parks. Through the program, local agencies are provided with the necessary financing and technical assistance to improve the quality and safety of fields in their communities. The agencies oversee the construction, maintenance and programming of the fields.

“LISC aims to forge resilient and inclusive communities of opportunity – great places to live, work, visit, do business and raise families,” said Amanda Timm, Executive Director of Houston LISC. “LISC is proud to partner with the Houston Texans to support Gulfton community parks as just one of the holistic investments we provide to the community.”

Connect Community, a community based organization working in the Gulfton neighborhood, played a key role in ushering the resources needed to realize the community’s vision. In addition to the NFL Grassroots Program grant, the SPARK School Park Program provided a $200,000 grant to support this sports field.

“In 2016 SPARK received funding from Houston Endowment, Kinder Foundation, and Powell Foundation to focus on 30 projects in identified “park desert” areas of Harris County, says Kathleen Ownby, Executive Director of SPARK. “The new turf field at YES Prep was made possible with $200,000 of SPARK “park desert” funding and will help turn an area on the “park desert” map from brown to green.”

About the NFL Foundation

The National Football League Foundation is a non-profit organization dedicated to improving the lives of those touched by the game of football – from players at all levels to communities across the country. The NFL Foundation represents the 32 NFL clubs and supports the health, safety and wellness of athletes, youth football, and the communities that support our game. For more information on The NFL Foundation, visit: NFLFoundation.org. 

About Houston LISC

The Local Initiatives Support Corporation (LISC) operates in 32 areas around the country, providing resources for neighborhood leaders and community based organizations to create strong and healthy neighborhoods. For almost 30 years, Houston LISC has invested more than $274 million in Houston communities, leveraging an additional $743 million. This investment has created more than 8,200 affordable homes and apartments and 1.4 million sq. ft. of commercial, community and educational space, as well as helped thousands of people improve their financial health and strengthen their neighborhoods.  For more information, visit www.lisc.org/houston.

About the Houston Texans Foundation

The Houston Texans Foundation was founded in 2002 with a mission of being Champions for Youth. The Foundation believes that youth are the champions of our future, and therefore it is dedicated to enhancing the quality of life for youth in Houston. Since 2002, more than $30 million has been raised through our annual fundraising events, disaster response programs, our annual United Way campaign and our partnership with non-profit organizations on Texans game day. Through fundraising efforts, the Foundation supports and administers programs in education, character development and health and fitness to empower the next generation of Texans.

About YES Prep Public Schools

For twenty-one years, YES Prep has increased the number of students from underserved communities who graduate from college prepared to lead. With 18 schools serving 13,300 students, YES Prep leads Houston forward by redefining what is possible in public education when children have access to excellent schools. YES Prep received the inaugural Broad Prize for Public Charter Schools, is nationally ranked by the U.S. News and World Report, The Washington Post, and others, and has consistently been named one of Houston’s “Best Places to Work” by the Houston Business Journal. To learn more, visit: www.yesprep.org.

About SPARK

SPARK is a non-profit organization which was started in 1983 to increase park space in the City of Houston by making use of public school grounds. Our one rule is that SPARK parks are open to the community after school and on weekends. To date SPARK has worked with over 200 schools in the Houston / Harris County area.  Presently there are 150+ active SPARK Parks in 17 School Districts and 3 Charter Schools in the greater Houston/ Harris County area. To learn more, visit: http://sparkpark.org/

About Connect Community

Connect Community partners with an incredible network of local volunteers, governments, businesses and best-in-class organizations to provide a comprehensive approach that supports the mixed-income housing, well-being, education and financial independence of our neighbors in Gulfton. By coordinating these efforts, they engage community members, build partnerships, secure funding, and ensure implementation of the many initiatives. To learn more, visit: http://www.myconnectcommunity.org.

Contact:
Ana Blinder (NFL)
(212) 450-2467
Ana.Blinder@NFL.com

Clare Duncan (LISC)
713) 597-6843
cduncan@lisc.org

Allie LeClair (Houston Texans)
(832) 667-2050
allie.leclair@houstontexans.com

Angela Rodriguez (YES Prep)
(713) 924-0715
Angela.rodriguez@yesprep.org

Kathleen Ownby (SPARK)
(832) 393-0911
kathleen@sparkpark.org

Anne Whitlock (Connect Community)
281-879-3042
anne@myconnectcommunity.org