Background Information:
It’s a well-researched fact that high school students who participate in athletics are less likely to use drugs and more likely to graduate. The 9th Ward Field of Dreams (9WFOD) has a mission to build a state-of-the art athletic facility—including a football field and Olympic-sized running track—on the campus of G.W. Carver High School for the Arts in an effort to increase graduation rates and prevent crime and drug use. The school is located in the Upper Ninth Ward of New Orleans, one of the most crime-ridden and poverty-saddled areas of the city, and an area that had its youth sports programming eliminated by Hurricane Katrina.
Challenge:
To raise $1.85 million dollars to build the facility—with the added goal of bringing hope and opportunity to a neighborhood still struggling to get back on its feet.
How Fuserna Helped:
The 9WFOD fits directly into Fuserna’s mission to provide support to underexposed charitable organizations that lack the financial resources to fully execute their project or cause. Fuserna reached out to 9WFOD after reading about their cause and invited them to apply for a grant. The grant will help offset construction costs of a synthetic turf football field, running track, stadium seating and lighting.
“Working with the Fuserna Foundation has been an amazing experience. The foundation has allowed us to bring our dreams to reality and impact the lives of our community in a manner that we believe they deserve.”
– Brian Bordainick, Founder/Executive Director, 9th Ward Field of Dreams
“The field will inspire students to become better citizens…by keeping them on a positive path.”
-Teaianna, 11th grade