THE FIELD IS COMPLETE AND WE NEED YOU!
The Minnechaug Field still needs you! In the Fall of 2019, we opened the new and innovative turf field, and we had a tremendous amount of support from the community. Donations were flying in, and the excitement about this new facility was felt by all parents, residents, and students. Our Fall sports teams enjoyed the benefits of our community’s hard work and dedication to get this field installation completed. Our youth programs had the opportunity to play on the turf, getting their first taste of what it’s like to play on a field of that caliber. All was great and the future was bright.
Then, winter came and so did the pandemic, which immediately halted all of our efforts to continue fundraising and pay off the debts incurred to get the field built in the first place. Unfortunately, our Spring sports teams lost their entire season. Seniors who would have had the chance to practice and play on our new turf field lost that chance in the blink of an eye. The 2020/2021 school year was different and difficult, to say the least, for all of us. Our entire year was spent worrying about how to keep our students safe while still offering a full athletic program.
Perhaps the biggest highlight of last year was an outdoor wrestling match with Agawam High School. We could only put on that match because we had the turf field available to us. As we enter the 2021/2022 school year and are adjusting to the new conditions created by the pandemic, we must get back to fundraising in order to pay for this incredible asset at Minnechaug.
Now more than ever, we need your financial support. Because of the weight of the pandemic on our local businesses and community, we did not pursue fundraising until now. We asked our contractors to be patient with us as payments for the field were coming due. Those contractors were incredibly understanding and gracious allowing us some extra time to make those payments. Recently, a resident stepped up and paid the contractors the remaining balances, but we still have a substantial need!
We also still have a core group of loyal residents heading up the committee and continuing to try to think of more ways to fundraise and reach our goal. We cannot do it alone. We need your help.
Our goal has always been to provide the best athletic experiences to our youth and high school teams, which includes this amazing turf field. Our unwavering commitment to follow through on our mission will continue. Please consider a donation to this project. We appreciate everyone’s support so far and we hope to grow that support over the coming months. We are Chaug!
