Featured Project at Hickman Mills School District Statium The Hickman Mills C-1 School District can unequivocally say the grass is greener on its side of the fence as a new state-of-the-art artificial playing surface was dedicated at District Stadium on September 7th. The field upgrade was made possible by a $200,000 grant awarded to Hickman Mills C-1 School District in January by Local Initiatives Support Corporation (LISC), the Kansas City Chiefs, the National Football League, and the NFL Players Association (NFLPA). The NFL Grassroots funding was matched by $574,000 from the Hickman Mills C-1 School District. “We at the Chiefs are very pleased to participate with the NFL, NFLPA and LISC in upgrading another football facility in Kansas City,” said Kansas City Chiefs President Carl Peterson. “The new Hickman Mills field is a tangible sign of the NFL Youth Football Fund in action.” Nearly 1,000 students, community leaders and patrons from the Hickman Mills C-1 School District were on hand for the dedication. Following the event, members of the Hickman Mills and Ruskin High School football teams participated in a pre-game walkthrough with selected Chiefs players. Later that night, the Hickman Mills Cougars defeated Kearney in Suburban Small 6 Conference action. “The renovated, multi-use field will spur increased community use at District Stadium,” said district Superintendent Dr. Marge Williams. “In the past, because of poor field conditions, football games were played at five different locations. Now, this field will be used by multiple youth football, track and soccer programs.” Construction on the new field began in late June and a formal groundbreaking ceremony was held July 2. Turf installation began Aug. 6 and completed just days later on Aug. 17.
The NFL Grassroots program is funded by the NFL Youth Football Fund (YFF), a non-profit foundation established by the NFL and the NFLPA to support youth football. Since 1998, the NFL Grassroots program has provided more than $17 million to help build, or rebuild, 155 youth fields in more than 40 cities, typically in neighborhoods where funding sources are few and far between. “These fields are a critical part of our efforts to create sustainable communities – places where people want to live, work and raise families,” said Julie Porter, Greater Kansas City LISC Executive Director. “Through the NFL Grassroots Fields Program we are not only creating places for young people to compete in football and other sports, we’re also making countless neighborhoods better and stronger.” The Hickman Mills project is the sixth NFL Grassroots Program grant awarded in the Kansas City area through LISC. A total of $860,000 has been allocated for field refurbishments thanks to the Chiefs Children’s Fund and the NFL Grassroots program since 1999. Previous grant awards include:
|