The Buffalo Bills, through the National Football League Foundation Grassroots Program, has granted Tapestry Charter School with $250,000 so that the school can install a new synthetic turf field at its Community Track and Multi-Sport Athletic Complex in North Buffalo. The grant came from the Bills, the NFL Foundation, and Local Initiatives Support Corporation (LISC).
Grassroots grants are issued once established funding thresholds are reached for each project.
To date, the NFL Foundation Grassroots Program – a partnership between the NFL Foundation and LISC, the nation’s leading community development organization – has done wonders for communities throughout the US, by supporting the construction or renovation of 416 football fields nationwide since 1998 (to a tune of $58 million – $6 million this year alone). The renovations include irrigation systems, lights, bleachers, scoreboards, goal posts, and turf.
Tapestry Charter School’s new Community Athletic Complex will service Tapestry’s 1,100 students, as well as youth from across the city. The facilities will be made available for youth fitness and sports activities such as football, flag football, lacrosse, soccer, and track and field events.
This facility will be the central hub for PlayBuffalo.
To that end, Tapestry has developed PlayBuffalo – a collaborative organization made up of public, private and charter schools, which brings the schools together to create fuller teams and clinics that are able to better utilize the field and its supplemental amenities.
“This is a very special moment in Tapestry’s 20-year history, and I couldn’t be more excited for our school and the wider community across the City of Buffalo,” said Eric Klapper, Executive Director, Tapestry Charter School. “Our work is all about expanding access and opportunity to the students and families we serve, and thanks to the Buffalo Bills, the NFL Foundation and LISC, the Buffalo community will have greater, more equitable access to facilities for youth sports, and thus all the benefits of health, wellness and social and emotional well-being that comes with it.”
Bills owner and President, Kim Pegula states, “Supporting the development of safe and accessible places for children in Buffalo to participate in sports, and be physically active, is an important part of our community outreach. Thank you to the NFL Foundation and the Local Initiatives Support Corporation for your partnership on this grant opportunity. We are excited about the positive impact the facility at Tapestry Charter School will have on our community and look forward to the opening of the facility.”
LISC not only partnered with Tapestry Charter School to access the funding for the project, it also helps to provide technical assistance. The joint agencies oversee the construction, maintenance, and programming of the fields.
“COVID has revealed just how critical schools and recreation spaces are to community health and the economy,” said Julie Barrett O’Neill, Executive Director of LISC Western New York. “This exciting Tapestry project is in an area of the city with limited recreation and parks space. Tapestry has worked hard to get their site ready for this investment. We are excited that this facility will be opened up to City of Buffalo children attending charter schools as well as other community organizations looking for field space.”
A new synthetic turf field will be built at Tapestry’s Community Track and Multi-Sport Athletic Complex in North Buffalo. See recent school developments.