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Grassroots Program Brings New Field to Kissimmee

Jun 21, 2009 - In May of 2008, the small town of Kissimmee, Florida, welcomed representatives of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers to Chambers Park, a local community center high in spirit and low on resources.

The visit was prompted by a grant application through the NFL Grassroots Program, an initiative that provides non-profit, neighborhood-based organizations with financial and technical assistance to improve local football fields. The community gathered for what they believed was simply a site visit, hoping that their spirit and enthusiasm would sway any potential decision-makers in their favor.

What they got instead was the announcement that the Grassroots Program had selected Chambers Park as the recipient of a brand new, state-of-the-art football field. The community was thrilled, and the ensuing year was spent transforming a dirt lot into a modern haven for youth athletics.

On Monday, roughly 13 months later, the Buccaneers were back in Kissimmee, this time to celebrate the completion of the project. Over 100 local children were on hand to be among the first to play on the new field, and they were joined by project supporters, park volunteers and other members of the community.

Donna Sines, executive director of Community Vision, noted that the night she was informed that Chambers Park had received the grant was, “one of the main highlights of my 22 years of non-profit work, pure jubilation!” Sines was on hand along with Mayor Jim Swan and other Kissimmee notables for the ribbon cutting.

"This park means everything. The field will represent the best parts of this community."

Captain Fear, Buccaneers cheerleaders, and center Jeff Faine were also on hand to help commemorate the event. Faine, who grew up in the Orlando area, spoke to the crowd on the positive impact the facility could have on their lives and encouraged the youth to take full advantage of it.

“I never had a field like this to play on growing up,” Faine said. “A resource like this for the young people of Kissimmee will do great things for this community, and it’s fantastic to see something like this take place in my own backyard.”

Sines kicked off the festivities on stage by noting that, “If it truly takes a village to raise a child, well this field is Kissimmee’s child! There is so much bad news nowadays; it is so exciting that we can make such a good thing happen in this area.”

Announcements and recognitions were made before the ribbon cutting, including a very special tribute to Mrs. Carol Chambers, the sister-in-law of Brenda Chambers, for whom the park is named. Faine helped draw raffle tickets out of a Buccaneers helmet, with the winner receiving autographed memorabilia and a hug from his or her favorite lineman. Finally, Kissimmee Mayor Jim Swan joined Sines and Faine for the ribbon cutting, which was met with fantastic cheers from all in attendance.

The NFL’s Grassroots Program has worked in conjunction with Local Initiative Support Cooperation (LISC) for more than 15 years to help fund youth athletic developments such as the one in Kissimmee. Chambers Park was selected from over 180 applicants throughout the United States. With the combination of support from the NFL and LISC, 90% of the field’s development was covered by the time the city approved the project.

Vincent Edmunds, LISC’s southeast programs officer, was on hand to take part in the celebration of over a year of hard work finally coming to fruition.

“When you look at the diversity of all the kids here it's just incredible,” said Edmunds. “What the field represents is a place where all these kids can come together, play, and learn to live with each other, and I think that is certainly one of the greatest lessons in life. Kissimmee is doing an awesome job and we’re very proud to be a part of it,”

Jacquelyn Hunter, the recreation coordinator of Chambers Park, also expressed her gratitude for the new field and believes it will usher in a new era of opportunity in the Kissimmee region.

“This park means everything,” Hunter said. “The field will represent the best parts of this community. We’ve always gotten a lot of negative, but we think with this new field and other new amenities that we will be able to showcase the most positive and brightest aspects of the North Kissimmee neighborhood.”