FRESNO - A downtown charter school playground received new life over the weekend, as several members of Fire Squad Fresno laid the final 8,000 square feet of sod on the playground for students to enjoy. For more than half the year, Kepler Neighborhood School students were left to play on a large patch of dirt across the street from their school or walk the two blocks to the Cultural Arts District Park to spend some time on the grass.
It wasn't by design. The school's sprinkler system broke about nine months ago, causing the grass to die for the TK-8 school that serves students in the city's urban core.
The sprinkler system was updated in July, and with the help of Fresno FC, Fire Squad Fresno, and Kepler school volunteers, students will have a new grassy playground to call their own. More than 20,000 square feet of sod that was used to cover the infield of Chukchansi Park for Fresno FC's home matches were ripped out, transported, and re-installed for the kids.
"It means a lot," said Kepler's Dean of Students Timothy Yeager. "We're in the midst of a big transition to better support the needs of our students and providing green space is part of that. It's important to provide a green space for youth who might not otherwise have access to it. ... We have a lot of Foxes fans at Kepler, so this is a real special treat."
It's a win-win for everybody, with volunteers coining the term "Victory Grass," as the sod donated was used wins over Phoenix Rising FC and Saint Louis FC.
The first donation of 12,000 square feet was installed after Fresno FC's 4-0 win over Rising FC on July 14 by a team of volunteers made up of teachers and parents of students at Kepler Neighborhood School located at 1462 Broadway Street. The final pieces were put in Sunday morning by members of Fire Squad Fresno as part of their community volunteer day.
"I thought it was great that the squad could get together and give back to the downtown community, and especially cool that the sod was donated from the field the Foxes won on the night before," said Brian Stepanek, member of Fire Squad Fresno.
In addition to the sod donations, the grounds crew at Kepler Neighborhood School will overseed it and water it, with the hopes of having a vibrant active space by the end of September, Yeager said.
To break in the new playground, Foxes players will join Kepler students for recess later this fall.
Kepler Neighborhood School isn't the only recipient of match-day sod. Earlier this season, Fresno FC donated 12,000 square feet to Marley's Mutts Dog Rescue in Tehachapi.
As Fresno FC continues to host matches at Chukchansi Park, the club is actively seeking community partners and aims to donate 100,000 square feet of sod in 2019. For more information, please contact Chris Wilson, Vice President of Operations, at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or 559.320.2525.
