Local Community in Flint, Michigan, Empowered Through Sports
The community of Flint, Michigan suffers from disinvestment, depopulation, and urban decay as well as high rates of violence, unemployment, and poverty. Currently, 40 percent of families live below the poverty
level. In an effort to provide access to holistic programs to promote collaboration, inclusion and healthy wellbeing through sport; recently, love.fútbol in collaboration with ESPN, the Pincus Family Foundation,
community leaders, residents and non-profit organizations, inaugurated a refurbished multi-sports field in the Dewey Park neighborhood.
love.fútbol is a global non-profit which engages communities to create, sustain and maximize the potential of their own sports space projects. It partnered with long-time funder ESPN and over 15 community groups and more than 50 volunteers, who contributed with approximately 350 hours of volunteer labor, to build the pitch. The project was co-funded by the Pincus Family Foundation which is focused on supporting projects that help improve the lives of children.
“We’ve built safe sports spaces in four continents with ESPN, and are very excited about the potential of this location and this project as a whole has to make a lasting impact in Flint where almost half of the city lives in poverty,” said Drew Chafetz, Co-Founder and CEO. “Sports spaces truly represent the inherent strength of a community, the leadership and engagement of its residents and the important role they can play in maintaining these fields while providing hope to communities deeply affected, such as Flint, and creating a unified vision for a healthy, sustainable future.”
Quincy Murphy, local neighbor and 3rd Ward City Councilman, City of Flint, participated in the field unveiling ceremony. He has lived in Flint’s third ward for more than 30 years, and is a longtime activist in the Dewey Park neighborhood. His passion for this community has led him to undertake small and larger beautification projects including Dewey Park.
"In this community, we have a lot of children being raised in underprivileged families. In this park and pitch space they can come and be free, be kids, and enjoy themselves", said Quincy Murphy. For more than a decade, Murphy has volunteered to preserve the park and seek grant funding to support programs and conserve the land of this community.
The new pitch is adjacent to the Sylvester Broome Empowerment Village (SBEV) and offers over 20 programs. SBEV will work with other local organizations to deliver sports educational programs and provide the community with a space to learn, develop, lead, and invest in the future. Through a partnership with RISE, a national nonprofit which educates and empowers the sports community to promote diversity, inclusion and social justice, SBEV will deliver its multi-week leadership program for children and coaches at the Dewey Park pitch space.
The new field will enable the sports for development programs to positively impact people, especially youth in Flint. Building safe spaces to play and delivering comprehensive programs can have lasting benefits for years and serve as the perfect springboard to continue transforming and improving communities through sport.