If your passionate about athletics and believe in its innate power to change lives for the better. There are only so many times you can drive by a dilapidated and deserted ball field before something urges you to take action. "Driving by this field daily I began to notice a trend.. it was empty, grass was knee high and kids weren't playing baseball on it. I would just scratch my head. I couldn't understand why this field wasn't being maintained or utilized" Says Jarrett England Program Director of Project Xposure an organization that empowers youth through educational and athletic programs. Mr. England decided to take it upon himself to pull over one day and go talk to the people responsible for the field at the Rutherford County Boys and Girls Club and ask them... What's the deal with the field? And why aren't kids out there playing baseball? Unfortunately they had no answer for him they advised there hadn't been a baseball program at the club for some time. It was 1999 to be exact. But they couldn't really explain why.  It was as if the program had just evaporated. But the remains of what once appeared to be a well manicured field were still present including bleachers, brick backstop, dugouts, scoreboard, concession stand and all the amenities needed to see a youth baseball/softball league flourish. The fact that so much was already there including a building full of 200 plus energetic children and baseball still wasn't being played or taught was very disturbing to Mr. England. Especially in a county that appeared to be a hot bed for baseball and baseball talent. Why just a few months earlier the 1st player selected in the MLB Draft was Murfreesboro's own David Price a kid who was born and raised playing baseball in Rutherford County.

 It was clear that the Boys and Girls club needed help. That's when Project Xposure stepped in and spearheaded a renovation project for the field along with the help of State Farm Insurance, Farrar Brothers Ace Hardware and Little Caesar's Pizza. Volunteers from State Farm stepped up putting forth a great deal of the man hours. Farrar Brother's are big supporters of the Boys and Girls club and donated the heavy equipment while Little Caesar's assisted by proving lunch for the volunteer workers.

The project began early Tuesday morning on a day where temperatures would easily reach the mid 90's. Volunteers started by marking off low spots in the outfield and leveling them off with fresh dirt. The infield was next where weeds were pulled, infield leveled off, baselines cut, walkways were filled with gravel, dugouts cleaned and over 40 bags of infield mix was poured. A lot of hard work was put in by the volunteers involved in this the donated materials and labor were estimated at close to $7,000 dollars The field renovation ended a huge success and is the first step in getting baseball back started at the Boys and Girls Club of Rutherford county though much more work and support is needed to get a league up and running hopefully this gets momentum going in the right direction. If are interested or would like to help contribute or volunteer your efforts to helping revive baseball at the Boys and Girls Club please contact the club directly at 615-893-5437 or and ask for activities director Derek Blake or contact Project Xposure at 615-867-7623 and ask for Jarrett England.