By Joe Jarosz
Northeast News
September 9, 2015

KANSAS CITY, Missouri — Are you ready for some football on a new football field?

On Tuesday, Sept. 8, representatives from the National Football League Grassroots Grant program, in conjunction with the Local Initiatives Support Corporation [LISC] and the Kansas City Chiefs, awarded two grants to the Kansas City Public Schools [KCPS] to replace the Northeast High School football field.

The grants include $200,000 from the NFL Grassroots Grant program to replace the existing field with artificial turf, and a $25,000 ESPN amenities grant which KCPS will use to install a new scoreboard. KCPS Interim Superintendent Al Tunis, LISC Executive Director Stephen Samuels, and Kansas City Chiefs Senior Vice President Bill Chapin, along with Chiefs linebacker Derrick Johnson and wide receiver Jason Avant joined the Northeast Vikings football practice to announce the grant. Afterwards, the students got the chance to run drills with the Chiefs players.

In a prepared statement, Stephen Samuels, Greater Kansas City LISC’s Executive Director, said safe recreation areas are a critical part of LISC’s efforts to build sustainable communities, places where people want to live, work and raise families. He added LISC has tried to improve the football field for many years and wanted to thank the NFL, ESPN and the Chiefs for helping them create a place for young people to compete in football and other sports, as well as helping them make the Northeast neighborhoods stronger.

Northeast High School, along with the Northeast Middle School, utilizes the football field. Since 2012, KCPS has invested $23 million in improvements for the two schools to provide a safe, comfortable and modern educational environment for students. The field replacement provides long-needed upgrades including a new playing surface, sound equipment, scoreboard and play clock, track, bleachers, lighting and parking. Tunis said this is just another improvement for the Northeast community.

“Kansas City Public Schools is grateful for the continued support from our community partners,” Tunis said. “These new improvements will allow students attending KCPS schools in the Northeast to experience a first-class athletic environment that will instill pride and boost achievement beyond the classroom.”

Douglas Bolden, principal for Northeast High School, said there were no words for how he felt when he learned about the grants his school received. He noted the season is barely into September and the current field conditions are already worn out.

“We’re truly blessed,” Bolden said, adding they’re still in the planning phase but expect to see the new amenities within the next two years. “We’re all bursting with pride today.”

A partnership between the NFL Youth Football Fund and LISC, the NFL Grassroots Program has awarded nearly $40 million in grants over 16 years to local non-profits focused on the health and welfare of their communities, especially the children in their neighborhoods.