Donations Helps To Renovate Baseball Fields
Donations Helps To Renovate Baseball Fields
By Tia Carol Jones
Four baseball fields at Brainerd Park were restored because of a donation from the Richard H. Driehaus Foundation. The community celebrated during a recent ribbon cutting at Brainerd Park, which is located at 246 W. 92nd St. The Driehaus Foundation wanted to fund a project to honor and remember Richard H. Driehaus.
The donation from the Driehaus Foundation was facilitated through the Chicago Parks Foundation. The Chicago Parks Foundation was established in 2013. It serves communities across the city of Chicago by supporting park advisory councils. The Chicago Parks Foundation shows these advisory councils how to raise funds and is the fiscal agent for the Chicago Park District.
Chicago Parks Foundation Executive Director Willa Lang said the baseball fields at Brainerd Park needed to be renovated. She said that communities and individuals are coming to the Chicago Parks Foundation because they see what the foundation can do with private gifts.
She said tax dollars alone can’t cover park districts needs and what they want to do. There are more and more requests for support. She said the foundation wanted to build trust with the community and show what it could do for them, and it has been able to gain that trust. Lang said renovating the baseball fields is a way to improve the community, it shows an investment in the community.
“Neighbors can look out their window and see these beautifully cultivated, manicured fields, and the kids are going to be safer using these fields,” she said. She added that the improvements are an amazing investment by the Driehaus Foundation, and it makes the whole neighborhood look and feel better.
Ronnie Mosley, 21st Ward Alderman, said because the community made an impact on Driehaus, who was raised in Brainerd and lived near Brainerd Park, The foundation wanted to invest in its renovation. Mosley said it should serve as an example that people can make a difference in their community when they see things that can be improved.
Mosley remembered playing baseball and Brainerd Park was one of the teams he played against growing up. He said that Derrick Skinner is carrying on the tradition as the coach of Brainerd Park’s little league. He said baseball teaches essential skills, including teamwork, and discipline, that will serve the young people who play the sport well throughout their lives. He said having the community support the young players brings the community together and is a way for people to connect with their neighbors.
“This is not a thing of charity, this is a championship level commitment that was sparked by a resident who lived here. It shows what we can do collectively and individually, and it starts by us taking actions,” Mosley said.
For more information about the Richard H. Driehaus Foundation, visit driehausfoundation.org. For more information about the Chicago Parks Foundation, visit www.chicagoparksfoundation.org.
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