NEWS RELEASE
Contact: Joseph Seastrom FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Recreation Manager
Telephone: 314-521-4661
Email: jseastrom@fergusoncity.com
FERGUSON PARKS AND RECREATION AWARDED FIELD REFURBISHMENT GRANT FROM SCOTTS® AND MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL
Ferguson Parks and Recreation Among Four Organizations Awarded Field Refurbishments by Blue Ribbon Panel, Which Included Ryan Howard, Jennie Finch & Cliff Floyd
Ferguson, MO (July 16, 2020) — Ferguson Parks and Recreation has been named an award recipient of the Scotts® Field Refurbishment Program, an initiative from the Scotts Company LLC (Scotts) and Major League Baseball (MLB) which will once again award modern, playable youth baseball and softball field refurbishments to four communities of need within the United States.
Ferguson Parks and Recreation is one of four grant-winning organizations announced today that were selected from nearly 500 grant applications across more than 400 cities in 48 states and Washington, D.C. for the 2020 installment of the Scotts® Field Refurbishment Program. The winning organizations were chosen by a special blue-ribbon panel which included three-time MLB All-Star & 2008 World Series Champion Ryan Howard, Olympic Gold Medalist & MLB Youth Softball Ambassador Jennie Finch, 1997 World Series Champion & MLB Network analyst Cliff Floyd, and additional executive leadership from MLB and Scotts.
The organizations receiving grants in 2020 include Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Northwest Indiana (Gary, Ind.), City of Memphis Parks and Neighborhoods (Memphis, Tenn.), Ferguson Parks & Recreation (Ferguson, Mo.), and the Oakland Athletics Community Fund (Oakland, Calif.). In total, more than $200,000 in repairs and upgrades on these youth fields will be completed by the end of the year.
“It is a great honor that Ferguson Parks and Recreation is the recipient of the 2020 Scotts Field Refurbishment Program grant,” said Mayor Ella Jones. Ferguson Parks and Recreation plans to utilize this renovated field to build upon their commitment to the community and support Ferguson’s future through new youth baseball and softball programs. With the newly renovated field, along with partner support, Ferguson Parks and Recreation endeavors to inspire youth in the area and increase community engagement through these efforts.
“The Ferguson Parks & Recreation Department is extremely grateful for this opportunity given to us by MLB and Scotts® to refurbish the field at Forestwood Park,” said David Musgrave, Director of Parks and Recreation. “We look forward to rejuvenating the facility and are excited for this opportunity to provide a safe and high-quality field for area youth to learn, play, and pursue an active lifestyle through the sport of baseball.”
“We are pleased to once again partner with Scotts to improve field conditions in these four communities,” said Tony Reagins, Executive Vice President of Baseball & Softball Development, MLB. “In these difficult times, we hope that one day soon youth baseball and softball can be a unifying force in communities all across our nation. For now, we believe these renovated ballfields can offer some optimism for the future in light of many not being able to play organized baseball and softball yet this year. We look forward to continuing to provide access to quality fields so youth across the nation can continue to play our great game.”
“We’d like to congratulate this year’s grant recipients for being selected for a field refurbishment for their local communities,” said Josh Peoples, SVP, Chief Brand Officer, Scotts Miracle-Gro. “This year we received a record number of applications and the selection process was difficult, to say the least. Preserving greenspaces in our local communities is at the core of our Gro More Good initiative and our hope is that by refurbishing these fields, children will be able to live a healthier and more active lifestyle for years to come.”
MLB and Scotts, a long-time league sponsor, began the Scotts® Field Refurbishment Program prior to the 2016 season to provide kids with modern, playable ball fields in communities around the U.S. The Scotts® Field Refurbishment Program is part of Scotts’ Gro More Good initiative to improve children’s health and well-being through increased connection to greenspaces. Scotts is also an official partner of the ‘PLAY BALL’ initiative, the sport’s largest collective effort to encourage young people and communities to participate in baseball- or softball-related activities, including formal leagues, events and casual forms of play. Through 2020, the Scotts® Field Refurbishment Program will have renovated two dozen fields with nearly $1.75 million of support.