Cowboys Donate $250,000 for New Youth Football Field in West Dallas

Three boys in yellow jerseys ran across an open field Monday, throwing a football between them. They are part of the West Dallas Vikings, a youth league team that has played on the dirt field for more than 50 years.But thanks to the Dallas Cowboys, those archaic days will soon come to an end.The Cowboys, in conjunction with the NFL Foundation, provided a $250,000 grant to to turn the dirt into a new artificial turf football field for Mercy Street, a West Dallas non-profit organized to help revitalize that area. The announcement came during a groundbreaking ceremony Monday morning at the site of the field in the 3500 block of Goldman Street.Ricky Jimmerson, executive director of Mercy Street, said the grant means a new addition to the organization's "Field of Dreams", a three-field project for youths sports that already includes a baseball diamond."It means a lot," Jimmerson, 43, said of the donation. "It's another avenue that we that we can reach a kid, that might not be into baseball, but football might be their touch."Growing up playing football, Jimmerson knows the impact the sport has beyond the games, from the teamwork kids experience to the coaches that challenge them."Those are the things that are priceless," Jimmerson said.Charlotte Jones Anderson, the Cowboys Executive Vice President and Chief Brand Officer, and the daughter of Cowboys owner Jerry Jones, was scheduled to attend Monday's groundbreaking, but couldn't make it. Emily Cruz Robbins, the team's senior director of community relations, did attend and said that football can help provide an escape from everyday life.  Continue reading...