The Oakland Raiders are currently preparing for their big move to Las Vegas. Although their new home is not quite ready, the Raiders have been making efforts over the last year to establish friendly relationships with the local community.
Last year, Raiders owner Mark Davis purchased over 1,000 tickets to the WNBA’s Las Vegas Aces game and distributed them to local youth organizations. Now the Raiders have switched over to their own sport and helped refurbish a local high school’s field.
The Raiders, along with the NFL’s Grassroots Program, have provided Rancho High School with a $250,000 grant for a new synthetic turf field. Raiders President Marc Badain reiterated the organization’s commitment to the Las Vegas community, via Raiders.com:
“The students and athletes at Rancho High School can look forward to the installation of a new state of the art field as we continue our commitment to youth football and to our community. The advancement of football at the youth and high school levels remains a top priority for the Raiders and we are excited to introduce this field replacement program to Las Vegas,” said Raiders President Marc Badain.
The NFL Grassroots program is a partner program with LISC, Local Initiatives Support Corporation. LISC was started in 1979 as a way to find real needs in communities and connect them with non-profits that could help with those needs. According to Raiders.com, the NFL Grassroots program has set aside over $61 million in grants for fields over the last 20 years.
With the Raiders move to the Las Vegas area, they will likely become one of the most important institutions in the area. Being one of the most enduring sports franchises in history comes with a certain prestige than many organizations just do not have. Along those lines, the Raiders have already ensured that they will help take care of their new community through these multiple acts of kindness.
Now that the offseason is in full swing, the Raiders’ move to Las Vegas is just around the corner. They will hold their annual training camp in Napa, Calif. again, however, before heading to the desert.
