A Fort Worth nonprofit organization dedicated to youth athletics suffered a significant blow this summer after a fire tore through its facilities and destroyed thousands of dollars worth of equipment.
Hallmark Youth Association president Newtown Braziel said he discovered the damage in early July when he found the organization’s concession stand burned to the ground. Firefighters who responded to the scene believe the blaze originated in a trash can.
The fire wiped out field equipment, yard tools and a $10,000 inflatable structure used to welcome players onto the field. Perhaps more damaging to daily operations was the loss of the generator, pumps and hoses stored in the building that were essential to maintaining the playing field.
Braziel said the destruction hit the young athletes hard emotionally. “The kids were discouraged to see it and hear about it because there is a lot of tradition here” he said. The association has operated at the same location since 1965.
Hallmark Youth Association is a nonprofit that works to ensure every child who wants to participate in football, track or cheerleading gets the opportunity to do so regardless of financial barriers. The loss of the field has created a ripple effect of financial hardship for the organization.
Without access to their home field the association must now pay fees to use other venues while simultaneously losing the rental income their own facility would have generated. The fire has also eliminated the opportunity to host the fundraising events they would normally rely on to cover operational costs.
Braziel said getting back on their home field before the end of this season would be extremely difficult. He expressed hope that the team might be able to return for a homecoming game but acknowledged it would take extraordinary effort and resources to make that happen.
The organization is now focused on rebuilding and continuing to serve the community’s youth despite the setback.