KIPP Bold City High School
March 13, 2024 - The Jaguars Foundation, Dick’s Sporting Goods Foundation, Carlton Construction and LISC Jacksonville combined to convert the infield of the charter school into a football field and track that might become a community beacon.
Melissa Fullmore, KIPP Jacksonville’s incoming executive director, said the effort to build a football field, athletic track and renovated gymnasium is part of the school’s ethos to focus on the whole child. Fullmore said the investment from community leaders in professional sports, construction and the nonprofit realm personify what students can become once they graduate. Carlton Construction founder Matt Carlton, Jaguars Chief Community Impact Officer Whitney Meyer and LISC Jacksonville Executive Director Irvin “PeDro” Cohen all graduated from public high schools in the region.
“Our kids are brilliant,” Fullmore said. “Sometimes, the way we assess them, or the way the world is set up does not show that brilliance all the time. This means a lot because it gives them an opportunity to change the trajectory (of their lives). They can still come back and be the teachers, be the next executive director of Kipp Jacksonville, be the mayor, be a City Council member. We want them to believe that this is a great place and they should come back and invest in it as well.”
Last year, LISC Jacksonville applied for and won a $75,000 grant from the Dick’s Sporting Goods Foundation to help build the football field and athletic track.
Wesconnect Park
(March 15, 2022)– Habitat for Humanity of Jacksonville has been granted $100,000 by the Jacksonville Jaguars through the National Football League Foundation Grassroots Program to refurbish the grass field at Wesconnett Park. The grant from the Jaguars, the NFL Foundation, and Local Initiatives Support Corporation (LISC) is part of $6 million in field refurbishment awards allocated this year. The field will serve elementary, middle school and high school age youth at Wesconnett Park on the Westside. The City of Jacksonville, also a partner and the owner of the park, provided a matching $100,000 grant to conduct the work.
The NFL Foundation Grassroots Program – A partnership between the NFL Foundation and LISC, the nation’s leading community development support organization – has supported the construction or renovation of 416 football fields nationwide since 1998. During that time, the NFL Foundation has granted nearly $58 million to revitalize playing fields in underserved neighborhoods. Fields are newly built or significantly renovated, with improvements such as irrigation systems, lights, bleachers, scoreboards, goal posts and turf. Grassroots grants are issued once established funding thresholds are reached for each project.
President of the Jacksonville Jaguars, Mark Lamping, said, “We are proud of our partnership with the NFL and LISC to support the field refurbishment at Wesconnett Park. It is important that our community has safe and accessible football fields for children, youth and families to enjoy.” This is the 16th new or refurbished field the Jaguars have sponsored, representing an investment by the NFL Foundation of more than $1.6 million in northeast Florida.
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 Jacksonville is glad to work in partnership with HabiJax and the City of Jacksonville Parks and Recreation Department to renovate the football field for the Westside Football League, It is our belief that opportunities like this are transformational for the more than 400 kids and families that are a part of the Wesconnett Wildcat football and cheer programs. – Dr. Irvin PeDro Cohen, Executive Director, LISC Jacksonville.
(July 23, 2022) Westside Park for Jacksonville Youth Re-Opens After Renovation
On Saturday, July 23, multiple partners gathered to celebrate the completed refurbishment of Wesconnett Park, which serves elementary, middle school and high school age youth on the Westside and is home to the Wesconnett Wildcats youth football team.
About the NFL Foundation
The National Football League Foundation is a nonprofit 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 and its members, the 32 NFL clubs, support the health, safety and wellness of athletes, youth football, and the communities that support our game. For more information on the NFL Foundation, visit: www.NFLFoundation.org
About HabiJax
Habitat for Humanity of Jacksonville, also known as HabiJax, was founded, in 1988 and has become the largest non-profit affordable homeownership provider in the Jacksonville area. HabiJax is considered to be one of the most successful Habitat for Humanity affiliates in the United States, having provided homeownership opportunities and other housing services to more than 2,300 families. In addition, HabiJax is an advocate for affordable housing and fair housing policies and provides workshops, trainings, and other services to help families optimize their homeownership experience. For more information, to donate or to volunteer, visit www.habijax.org.
About the Westside Football League
The Westside Football League, within the target market for the Jacksonville Jaguars, has been an important part of the Westside community of the City of Jacksonville since 1985. The league is a non-profit, neighborhood-based organization run by volunteers who serve as mentors and role models instilling confidence, discipline, and teamwork through teaching, coaching, and training youth in football and life skills. They have repeatedly won regional and city championships dominating local, regional, and national youth football programs establishing an undeniable reputation for Westside football in the City of Jacksonville and beyond. Most recently, the Wesconnett Wildcats have won three consecutive Pop Warner national titles with three different youth football teams in 2018, 2019, and 2020. Visit www.waawildcats.com.
About LISC
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, 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. For more, visit www.lisc.org.
