GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — The West Michigan Sports Commission (WMSC) has announced a $1 million gift from Meijer towards the Meijer Sports Complex’s A Winning Streak for West Michigan expansion campaign. The announcement was made at a private donor event on Thursday at the Meijer Sports Complex.
The donation from Meijer brought the campaign’s fundraising total to $5.8 million, which is 53% of its $11 million goal.
“Meijer invests in the communities we serve – and as a family company, supporting youth and amateur sports is so important to us because of the joy it brings families,” said Meijer President and CEO Rick Keyes. “That is why we have partnered with the WMSC for more than a decade on everything from the State Games to the naming of this community staple. We’re honored to help the Meijer Sports Complex continue providing a safe place for young people of all abilities to play, now and into the future.”
“We are so grateful to Meijer for this generous lead gift, which made it possible for us to reach more than half of our fundraising goal to improve and expand the Meijer Sports Complex,” said WMSC President Mike Guswiler. “Equally important, we were able to leverage that gift when speaking with others in the public and private sectors to demonstrate the importance of the project and motivate others to give.”
The A Winning Streak for West Michigan capital campaign was launched in October 2022. The goal of the campaign is to improve and expand the Meijer Sports Complex.
At the event, donors who made pledges to the campaign in response to Meijer’s gift were also announced. The donors include the Secchia Family Foundation in memory of WMSC Founder Peter Secchia, DeVos Family Foundations, Jandernoa Foundation, UFP Foundation, Mercantile Bank, Lacks Enterprises, Mary Free Bed Guild, Reagan Marketing, as well as the full WMSC Board and Winning Streak campaign cabinet. $1 million in American Rescue Plan dollars was also allocated by the Kent County Board of Commissioners for the campaign. Congresswoman Hilary Scholten also requested $750,000 in Community Project Funding to the House Committee on Appropriations for fiscal year 2024.
“These generous gifts were made possible because Meijer took the first step in demonstrating the value of this project – we are so appreciative of Meijer and these donors who gave in response,” said Guswiler. “The Meijer Sports Complex fills a critical need for championship-caliber infrastructure for sports like baseball and softball in West Michigan, and the demand for this kind of space that also offers gender parity with softball diamond fields has only increased. We’re excited to take the complex to the next level for athletes playing everything from baseball and softball to pickleball – and we can do that thanks to the support of Meijer and these other donors. We hope others here today see the value and join the cause.”
The renovation and expansion of the Meijer Sports Complex includes the following:
- New championship softball field for youth, amateur and collegiate softball – featuring synthetic turf, grandstands, lighting, covered dugouts and a press box
- Three flexible-use diamond fields for youth and amateur and collegiate softball – featuring synthetic turf, grandstands, lighting, covered dugouts and bleachers
- 20 pickleball courts, including a championship court
- New concession building, new restroom facility, and expanded storage facility
- New playground area
- Canopies over all bleacher seating
- Synthetic turf installed on existing Championship baseball field
- Resurfacing of the Miracle Field
- 300 additional parking spaces
At the event, Jim Horman, chair of the WMSC and principal at Progressive AE, said that construction will begin as early as this fall. The main groundbreaking phase for the new championship softball field is scheduled to take place in early 2024.
More information on the A Winning Streak for Michigan campaign can be found here.
