Wednesday, the MLB All-Star Legacy Project is announcing its investments in the North Texas area to the tune of $7 million.
The DFW region will see improvements to many facilities across the area, investments that coincide with the Rangers hosting the MLB All-Star game in July.
"Our goal is to have a leave behind," says Karin Morris, Senior Vice President, Community Impact & Executive Director, Texas Rangers Baseball Foundation. "Having All-Star week and having these activities and programs and initiatives taking place is really that leave behind and that legacy part of hosting the game because it is much more than baseball. It's about our community. It's about our fans."
The Rangers Youth Academy off Hampton Road in West Dallas has been announced as a beneficiary. One of its grass fields is being turfed, allowing more games to be played concurrently, even in challenging Texas weather.
"We're operating at capacity down here so that just really gives us an opportunity to continue to have kids being able to play," said Morris.
Since opening in 2017, the Youth Academy has welcomed over 125,000 kids, with a noteworthy 125 of them committing to play baseball and softball in college.
"Many of those kids, this is the first child in their family attending college," Morris shared.
These improvements come as part of a broader set of initiatives, which Morris noted would include the renovation of a park in Arlington and improving two additional fields with help from Rangers players Corey Seager and Jacob deGrom.
Additionally, a Boys and Girls Club will be renovated, and support will be provided to a veterans' organization called the Adaptive Training Foundation.
The projects are just the latest in the ongoing impact that the Rangers and MLB Legacy Project are having on North Texas.
"You know, we actually did this during the World Series. We were able to give a grant to Mission Arlington Mission Metroplex, and we were able to help renovate their medical clinic, and we'll actually be cutting the ribbon during All Star Week," Morris shared.
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