OMAHA (KMTV) — Omaha Benson is the only baseball team in Omaha Public Schools that does not have a home field on campus.
And the Benson High School Foundation is looking to change that.
The goal: have a place for kids of all ages to play ball.
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“Benson High School is more than just a high school. It is the community.”
And that’s why class of 1958 grads Paul and Djel Ann Brown want to give back to their alma mater.
“We are backers of Benson High School,” Djel Ann said. “It’s a wonderful school and it still is.”
The Browns are part of the Benson High School Foundation looking to raise $6.5 million to build a new baseball and softball field near the school.
“Many of the kids do not have transportation, they all have to be driven by the coach,” Djel An said. “So now they could, if they have the parks here, they can walk across the street, practice every day after school.”
“It’s more important for this program to have participation,” Paul said. “As we say, we’re not trying to win championships, we’re trying to win kids. We’re really trying to help the underprivileged kids, many of which go to Benson High School.”
In a zip code where the median household income is less than $60,000 and the baseball team is just a couple of years removed from a co-op with Omaha North.
“This is kind of our medium to reach out to help kids that don’t have the advantages that a lot of kids that live in west Omaha have,” Paul said.
The foundation is partnering with Omaha Parks and Recreation for funding and construction which would allow the softball field to still be used for little league, creating a pipeline of players for the high school.
“We have more and more people coming to the parks, more and more people coming from the community to use the tennis courts, and we want people to come from the community to use the baseball field,” Djel Ann said.
They’re hoping to start construction on the new fields within the next two years.
