‘SEC Highlight of the Year’ grant to Baton Rouge park helps new flag football league

BATON ROUGE, LA (WAFB) - DJ Chark ran back a punt for a touchdown against Auburn in 2017 that helped propel LSU to a 27-23 win and now, the popularity of that video clip is helping some Baton Rouge children.

Click here to watch the highlight

BREC announced Wednesday morning that it recently completed two multi-use athletic fields at Milton J. Womack Park on Florida Boulevard. A grand opening celebration for the new fields will be held Saturday from 9 a.m. until 11 a.m. Officials said it will coincide with the State Farm Youth Flag Football League Super Bowl.

State Farm, CBS Sports, EcoMedia, and NRPA partnered for the $25,000 grant. It is expected to benefit more than 150 kids in East Baton Rouge Parish.

Officials said CBS Sports created the “SEC Highlight of the Year” contest to award the university with the highest voted clip the chance to give back to a community in need. It is part of the State Farm Most Valuable Possessions campaign, with the objective “possessions are worth more than money that is paid for them.”

BREC said it proposed using the grant money to create a new Youth Flag Football league, which will be hosted at Womack Park. The group added the league is geared toward kids living in low-income housing.

Click here for more on the park improvements

The money from the grant allowed BREC to purchase and install two scoreboards on each field. Officials said they have also added new bleachers and other features to each field.

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