Capital Campaign - almost home
From our capital campaign director - Jim Krzeminski:
A Grand Slam Day for Sullivan Field as Capital Campaign Enters Public Phase!
Our Capital Campaign is off and running… and soon rounding third with the exciting news that we have raised $3.7 Million (88%) of our goal of $4.2 Million! An All-Star Line-Up of Representatives from the City, County and State - along with many of our Lead-Off Private Donors - gathered at Sullivan Field Wednesday afternoon to announce the news and to participate in the formal groundbreaking of the project.
Our Honorary Co-Chairs, Mayor Rosalynn Bliss and Mike Van Gessel, CEO and owner of Rockford Construction, were on hand to give remarks, as well as CEO Mark Bissell, whose company is the lead private donor. A rendering of The new BISSELL Gateway to Sullivan Field was revealed, along with drawings of the new dugouts, comfort stations, museum and more. Phase I of the project has begun – thanks to the citizens of Grand Rapids who voted for the initial $1.1 Million to rebuild our roof and preserve/update our grandstands. Phases II and III will incorporate the new buildings, new public space for families and more to be built in 2024 and 2025.
The event was also special in that we honored the history of our field while sharing the excitement of the present and future. Bob Sullivan joined in as did former Black Sox players Johnny Walker and Dan Groce. A few of the baseball team members from Union High School were on also on hand. It was a grand day complete with symbolic golden shovels digging into the dirt to celebrate the ground breaking for which we have waited for the past few years. It is all coming together!
We thanked our many donors including representatives of The City of Grand Rapids, which included our Mayor, City Manager, Director of Parks and City Commissioners. The State of Michigan has also been very supportive and we thanked Senate Majority Leader Winnie Brinks and our State Representative Carol Glanville. We were also fortunate to receive a $680,000 grant from the State (MEDC) for the project. Tim Mroz and The Right Place were also acknowledged for their assistance in securing this important grant.
Our Lead-off Private Donors are: The BISSELL Company, The Klopcic Family Foundation, The Peter C. and Emajean Cook Foundation, The David and Carol Van Andel Family Foundation, Peter and Joan Secchia Family Foundation, Rockford Construction, Irwin Seating, E.G.O. Painting, Swift Printing, Belden Brick and Integrated Architecture. Please join us in giving these donors a standing ovation!
While we are very excited to share this news, we have yet to raise the remaining $500,000 to hit our campaign goal out of the park. We will be meeting with companies and foundations in the weeks and months to come. We will also announce public brick campaign in the Spring where supporters can imprint their name in the new entrance walkway for decades to come.
We will continue to keep you updated. Come see the new renderings and get caught up on all that is happening at our upcoming Fans Of Valley Field Gala on November 2. See you there!
