CHARLOTTE -- York (SC) School District 1 has been awarded a $50,000 matching grant by the Carolina Panthers through the National Football League Foundation Grassroots Program. The grant will assist in the refurbishment of York Middle School's Pratt Field as part of a $100,000 project that will upgrade the facility, including installation of a new scoreboard, replacing and extending fencing, and extensively repairing bleachers, restrooms, and the press box.
Pratt Field dates back to the mid-1970s and is used by numerous community and school groups, including York Middle School Football, Soccer, and Track, City of York Little League Football, and physical training for park rangers and police officers with Kings Mountain National Military Park and York County Sherriff's Office. Additional groups and events include Western York County Relay for Life, Carolina SkyGazers Astronomy Club, area middle school football jamboree, York's annual Fourth of July celebration, and other community activities.
Said superintendent Vernon Prosser: "Students in York School District 1, as well as many members of the community, will benefit from these upgrades for years to come"
York School District 1 previously received a $200,000 NFL Grassroots matching grant for the construction of York County Comprehensive High School's football field when the school was constructed in 2010.
"The Carolina Panthers are pleased to support York School District 1 through the NFL Grassroots program. The ability to provide resources for the district to better serve its students and community is an exciting opportunity," said Riley Fields, Panthers director of community relations.
The grant from the Panthers, the NFL Foundation, and Local Initiatives Support Corporation (LISC) is part of $3.05 million in field refurbishment awards allocated this year to community organizations, schools and parks in 17 cities nationwide. Since 1998, nearly $43 million in grant funding has been committed in support of 322 projects nationally.
