Each year, the NFL seeks to improve the surrounding communities of the Super Bowl host city, through the Super Bowl Legacy Grant Program, by giving an annual $1 million contribution from the NFL Foundation. This year, a $2.4 million grant – supported by funding from the NFL Foundation, Atlanta Super Bowl Host Committee and the Arthur M. Blank Family Foundation – will go to the renovation of John F. Kennedy Park located in Atlanta’s historic Westside neighborhood. Additional support for the project was provided by Atlanta-based partners – Chick-fil-A Foundation, Park Pride, Primerica and WXIA.
The Capital Improvement Project will provide students at the nearby Hollis Innovation Academy, as well as the Westside community, with a versatile playing field for athletic competition and the surrounding community a safe space for exercise and outdoor activities.
NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell, Atlanta Falcons Owner Arthur M. Blank, Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms, and Atlanta Super Bowl Host Committee Executives were present for the ribbon cutting Thursday at the John F. Kennedy Park.
“The Super Bowl provides us with the opportunity to make an impact in the host communities long after the final play of the game,” said Goodell. “In conjunction with the Super Bowl Host Committee and the Arthur M. Blank Family Foundation, the Super Bowl Legacy Grant Program enables us to make meaningful improvements in the community that will last for years to come.”
The Atlanta Super Bowl Host Committee formed Legacy 53 – a community engagement initiative aimed at creating a lasting legacy in Atlanta as part of Super Bowl LIII. Legacy 53 is built on five pillars that focus on celebrating and elevating Atlanta communities through a variety of initiatives, which impact both the hearts and minds of Atlanta neighbors and the Atlanta neighborhoods they call home.
The Capital Improvement Project, representing one of those five pillars, includes a full level turf playing surface, community walking path, Fit-Trail exercise system for fitness training, new playground equipment with soft turf underpinning, new hard-court basketball surface, shade picnic pavilion and sidewalk lighting for evening use. The previous playground equipment will be repurposed to upgrade nearby Ashby Circle Park.