Sweetwater High Awarded NFL Grassroots Grant - 7/8/11
Chargers present funding for Artificial Turf Field
It is often said that sports is a great unifier bringing communities together to support a common effort. Nowhere is this truer than in the city of National City and at Sweetwater High School, which received a $200,000 grant from the NFL Grassroots Program for the improvement of their 88,000 square foot athletic field.
The NFL Grassroots program is a partnership between the National Football League and the Local Initiatives Support Corporation (LISC), a national community development nonprofit organization. The goal of the NFL Grassroots Program is to provide non-profit, neighborhood-based organizations with financial and technical assistance to improve the quality, safety, and accessibility of local football fields.
San Diego Chargers Executive Vice President A.G. Spanos presents Sweetwater High School with a check for $200,000 for field renovations.
Pictured (L-R) National City Mayor Ron Morrison, Principal Roman del Rosario, Board Member Bertha J. López, Acting Superintendent Dr. Ed Brand, Board President John McCann, A.G. Spanos, LISC Executive Director Joseph Horiye and members of the Sweetwater High football team and cheerleading squad.
Sweetwater High, the only high school in the City of National City, is home to several sports organizations including the school's own athletic programs such as football and soccer. Throughout the year the local Pop Warner football program, the National City Diablos, and a newly formed semi-professional football team, the National City Bears, also use the field.
At a ceremony on June 29 San Diego Chargers Executive Vice President-Executive Officer A.G. Spanos presented Sweetwater High with a check for $200,000. Joining Spanos in presenting the check were Board President John McCann, Board Member Bertha J. López, Acting Superintendent Dr. Ed Brand, Sweetwater Principal Roman Del Rosario, National City Mayor Ron Morrison, Joseph Horiye, Executive Director of San Diego's LISC.
"This is a great thing not only for Sweetwater High, but for the entire National City community," said Brand. "We are grateful to the San Diego Chargers and LISC for helping through this process."
The collaborative investment in the field at Sweetwater High was jumpstarted in 2010 when the the City of National City also contributed to the field renovation by committing $200,000 of Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) funding. Morrison, a Sweetwater graduate, recalled the legendary potholes and mudholes that will no longer be a part of Red Devils games.
"I think some of the smaller players, we've lost a few of them," Morrison said. "We're still looking for them."
Also in attendance were the Sweetwater High Red Devil football team and cheerleaders as well as players and coaches from the Diablos and the Bears.
"The high school here really is the heart of National City," said McCann "You guys are building something very, very special here. The renovation of this field will go a long way to help you have the best facilities that you deserve."