Rugby Public School District announced it is receiving a Fields for Kids matching grant of $8,000 from the Minnesota Twins Community Fund. The grant will help fund a new girls fastpitch softball field, the current baseball field and track program improvements, which are used by school baseball and softball teams along with the schools track program. The improvements will make the fields safer, more accessible, and a better home for baseball and softball teams to play on.

“We’re honored to receive this grant from the Minnesota Twins Community Fund,” Olivia Erpelding, head softball coach at Rugby High School, said. “The addition of a dedicated fastpitch softball field will have a lasting impact on our program — giving our athletes a safe, accessible, and high-quality facility to train, compete and call their own. It’s a major step forward for our team as well as a meaningful investment in the future of girls’ sports in our community.”

The Twins Community Fund’s Fields for Kids grant program provides financial support to improve baseball and softball facilities for youth in the Upper Midwest and Southwest Florida. The program makes matching grants to nonprofit organizations and local government units that operate baseball and/or softball programs. The Twins Community Fund and its grant programs are supported in part by its cornerstone partners — Target, US Bank, Treasure Island, Nike and Uponor — and fans across Twins Territory. Since its inception in 1999, the Fields for Kids program has granted nearly $7 million to improve more than 1,000 ballfields across Twins Territory.

“The Twins Community Fund is committed to making sure kids across Twins Territory have the support, equipment, and safe places to play the games they love. We are proud to provide grants that help communities empower young people and foster belonging through these games,” Kristin Rortvedt, executive director of the Twins Community Fund, said.