CSX Field at Baybrook Park to serve as home field of Benjamin Franklin High School at Masonville Cove
Today, the Cal Ripken, Sr. Foundation and CSX Foundation,a charitable giving fund managed by CSX, unveiled CSX Field at Baybrook Park in Baltimore. The new multipurpose synthetic turf athletic facility will serve as the home field of Benjamin Franklin High School at Masonville Cove football program.
Speakers at the ribbon cutting ceremony included Cal Ripken, Jr., Baseball Hall of Famer and Ripken Foundation vice-chairman; Jermaine Swafford, Sr. Vice President and Chief Transportation Officer, CSX;the Honorable Kenneth C. Holt, Secretary, Maryland Department of Housing and Community Development;Bernard C. “Jack” Young, President, Baltimore City Council; Christopher Battaglia,Benjamin Franklin High School principal;and Steve Salem, President and CEO, Ripken Foundation.
“Being active and playing sports taught me so many valuable life lessons. Thanks to CSX, the kids in this community will have a safe space to play sports and grow, and learn a lot of those same lessons,” said Cal Ripken, Jr.
CSX Field at Baybrook Park was designed for football and soccer game play, featuring football goal posts, soccer goals,Musco Sports Field lighting, digital scoreboard and bleachers. CSX Field at Baybrook Park will serve as the home field of Ben Franklin Bayhawks athletic programs, creating a safe place to practice and play sports, as well as a gathering spot for large school functions and graduation ceremonies.The new field will be gifted and maintained by Baltimore City Parks and Recreation, providing a productive environment for students at Ben Franklin High School and local youth to continue to grow and develop.
“CSX is proud to support the development of this facility to encourage students to continue to build on the positive momentum they have established in the classroom, and enable the surrounding communities to benefit from the wide range of events that will be hosted at this site,” said Swafford.
Between 2011 and 2015, Ben Franklin High School moved from one of the city’s lowest performing high schools to one of Baltimore’s top choice high schools. However, the students in the local community still lack a safe place to play and practice sports. CSX Field at Baybrook Park will serve multiple populations in its surrounding community, as well as the students at Ben Franklin High School at Masonville Cove.
Other charitable project donors include Under Armour, State of Maryland, Ollie’s Bargain Outlets, NFL, and The Harry and Jeanette Weinberg Foundation. To date, the Ripken Foundation has completed 78 multipurpose synthetic turf facilities in 22 states and Washington D.C., including 13 completed parks throughout the state of Maryland.
About the Cal Ripken, Sr. Foundation
For the last 17 years, the Cal Ripken, Sr. Foundation has worked tirelessly to implement youth development programs and create parks that directly address the problems facing at-risk youth in distressed communities across the country. Inspired by one of the most iconic baseball families, the Ripkens created the Cal Ripken, Sr. Foundation to honor the legacy of its family patriarch, longtime coach, and mentor, Cal Ripken, Sr. The Ripken Foundation uses sports-themed activities to bring police officers, youth partners and underserved kids ages 9 – 14 together on a level playing field to learn invaluable life skills.
The Ripken Foundation’s Youth Development Park Initiative creates clean, safe places for kids to play on multipurpose, synthetic surface fields that promote healthy living in an outdoor recreational facility. Since 2009, the Ripken Foundation has 78 completed parks across the country in 22 states and Washington D.C., impacting over 280,000 kids annually. In 2017, the Ripken Foundation impacted nearly 1.4 million kids nationwide through its Youth Development Park and mentor programs. For more information, visit www.RipkenFoundation.org. Follow @CalRipkenSrFdn on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
About CSX
CSX, based in Jacksonville, Florida, is a premier transportation company. It provides rail, intermodal and rail-to-truck transload services and solutions to customers across a broad array of markets, including energy, industrial, construction, agricultural, and consumer products. For nearly 190 years, CSX has played a critical role in the nation’s economic expansion and industrial development. Its network connects every major metropolitan area in the eastern United States, where nearly two-thirds of the nation’s population resides. It also links more than 240 short-line railroads and more than 70 ocean, river and lake ports with major population centers and farming towns alike. More information about CSX Corporation and its subsidiaries is available at www.csx.com. Like us on Facebook (http://facebook.com/OfficialCSX) and follow us on Twitter (http://twitter.com/CSX).
