The Washington Redskins Charitable Foundation continued its outreaching efforts Tuesday with the installment of a new Sports Court at Hart Middle School in downtown Washington D.C.
Led by the team at KaBoom!, a nonprofit organization with a focus on exercise in youth, the outdoor recreation complex at Hart provides students with a modern facility for outdoor physical education.
"This is priceless," said Kevin Cantfil, a teacher at Hart Middle School. "These kids love playing ball, you seem them out here playing right now. This is nice, man. We've needed something like this."
The building of the Sports Court also signaled the beginning of the Redskins new FITT (Frequency, Intensity, Time & Type) program -- a youth health and wellness initiative to empower and assist middle school students in the development of their personal fitness goals.
The day kicked off with renovations to the surrounding landscape. Redskins Wes Martin and Jehu Chesson worked alongside WRCF volunteers in painting the blacktop and surrounding benches around the Sports Court.
"This was one of the more fun events I've been to," said Martin. "Building a basketball court was really cool and something I've never done before."
"I wanted to make sure I let these kids know how important getting outside and exercising is, and with this new court they have everything they need," added Chesson. "I got a chance to play some ball with the kids, too. It was really a fun event for everyone involved."
After the installation of the outer boundary of the court, WRCF volunteers and Hart students provided the finishing touches by painting "HART" adjacent to the court in the school's vibrant yellow and green colors.
Afterwards, KaBoom! team leader Amnastee Graves stressed the importance of the project. She said KaBOOM!'s mantra of "Play Matters For All Kids" was of utmost importance in organizing the project and described the new SportsCourt's installation process as "perfect" for all involved.
