Brooke Charter Schools Students, the New England Patriots & LISC Celebrate a New Athletic Field in Boston
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BOSTON, Mass. – On Thursday, May 12th, Brooke Charter Schools celebrated the completion and opening of a new synthetic turf field at the school’s campus in the Mattapan neighborhood of Boston with an all student-assembly, representatives from the New England Patriots, staff from Local Initiatives Support Corporation (LISC) Boston, and community and project partners. As part of an all-school assembly and ribbon-cutting ceremony, Robert Kraft, Andre Tippet and Kendrick Bourne, from the Patriots shared stories, words of congratulations, and posed for photos with student presenters and athletes, school leaders, and project leaders.
Fields and recreation spaces where people play, exercise and just come together make people and communities healthier and stronger.
Brooke School students, Robert Kraft, CEO of the Patriots, players and representatives, LISC Boston's Executive Director, and Brooke School and community supporters cut the ribbon on their new football field.
Patriots' Robert Kraft, Kendrick Bourne celebrate new field at Brooke Charter School
Read the story featured on Patriots.com.
In addition to the formal ribbon-cutting, the event featured a cheerleading routine from Brooke Schools’ cheer squad and comments from two Brooke seventh grade scholar-athletes about how much the field means to them. The new field serves as a space for safe gatherings and recreation outdoors for students across Brooke Schools’ four campuses throughout Boston, community athletic groups, and others. Teachers and students also utilize it for activities ranging from regular recess to space for outdoor science projects.
Principal Abby Waldman said, “The field created a space where all of our scholars from kindergarten through high school can come together.”
Constructed in part due to a $250,000 grant from the Patriots through the NFL-LISC Grassroots Foundation, the field is serving students across Brooke’s charter school network and by community athletic groups in the Lena Park community of Boston. The field is the largest component of an overall recreation facilities redesign at Brooke’s Mattapan campus that also includes two outdoor basketball courts and a playground structure.
“At the New England Patriots, we understand the importance of teamwork in achieving your goals,” said Patriots Chairman and CEO Robert Kraft. “It took a collective team effort from the greater Boston community to turn this dream of a new athletic field into a reality. We are happy to play a role in providing a sports and recreation space for Boston-area youth to enjoy for years to come.”
“It was an honor to be a part of this ribbon-cutting ceremony,” said Kendrick Bourne, Patriots wide receiver. “You could see the excitement – not only by the students, but also in the teachers, staff and everyone involved in the project. Growing up playing football, I made lifelong friends and memories on the gridiron, so to be a part of something that gives students that same opportunity is truly special.”
“LISC is thrilled to support Brooke to create this resource for their students and their community,” said Karen E. Kelleher, Executive Director of LISC Boston. “Fields and recreation spaces where people play, exercise and just come together make people and communities healthier and stronger.”
This is the 12th NFL field in Massachusetts since the Grassroots program’s start in 1998, totaling $1.7 million. In total, the program has invested nearly $58 million in over 400 neighborhood fields across the country. The NFL-LISC Grassroots Program’s Request for Proposals (RFP) is now open and accepting proposals from non-profit and neighborhood-based organizations for grants of up to $250,000. The deadline for submissions is May 31, 2022.
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Brooke Charter Schools
Brooke Charter Schools is a network of high-performing charter public schools in Boston. Our mission is to provide an academically rigorous public education that ensures students are prepared to succeed in college and beyond. We achieve this goal through a relentless focus on great teaching. Brooke is proudly named after the late Senator Edward W. Brooke, the first African American popularly elected to the U.S. Senate. Brooke serves approximately 2,000 scholars in grades kindergarten through twelve, across four campuses in Roslindale, Mattapan and East Boston. Ninety two percent of Brooke scholars are Black and Latinx and our families primarily live in Dorchester, Hyde Park, East Boston, Mattapan, Chelsea and Roxbury.
About Local Initiatives Support Corporation (LISC) Boston
LISC is one the country’s largest community development organizations, helping forge vibrant, resilient communities across America. We work with residents and partners to close systemic gaps in health, wealth and opportunity and advance racial equity so that people and local economies can thrive. Since our founding in 1979, LISC has invested $24 billion to create more than 436,320 affordable homes and apartments, develop 74.4 million square feet of retail, community and educational space. We have deep local roots, having invested more than $400 million in the Massachusetts communities of Boston, the Gateway Cities, and beyond. For more, visit www.lisc.org/boston.
About the New England Patriots Foundation
Robert Kraft established the New England Patriots Foundation in 1994 as a way to give back to the communities the Patriots call home. The mission of the foundation is to aid individuals and families that are often marginalized in today’s society. Through the implementation of year-round programming and support of philanthropic agencies, the foundation is building stronger communities throughout New England. For more information about the New England Patriots Foundation, visit www.patriots.com/community.
