 My brothers and sisters, today we celebrate the construction of a new ball field and walking path in this community. How blessed it is for brothers and sisters to come together. One foot in this environment three years ago, we started a dream. We actually had a little football team, but there was more to be offered in this community. We wanted our children, of course in excess of about 3,000 children in this community, to enjoy the same recreational activities we offered anywhere. Of course, this ballpark represents a ballpark that is and has not been a part of a ballpark system, so we're here today to celebrate. And I think it would be to your advantage and to my advantage, of course, is give yourselves a hand and some applause because we aren't through yet. We got a resemblance of what could be. This project is becoming a reality thanks to all of those persons in the community. In the community who said we want something for our children. And of course today represents that time, that day where we celebrate this recreational activity facility. Persons have given of their time, their talents, their gifts, and their service to make this community, again, great. Not just mediocre, but great. Several of you who are here today, I just want to recognize. James Sanders, one of our community leaders with persons from this community, we want to say thank you. Thank you for your leadership, sometimes very fiery, but thank you for your passion and your gifts. We want to say thank you to Randy Davis, director of our parks and recreation and staff. Randy, thank you so much for giving of your time and staff, just raise your hand if you would. Lisa Hamero, president and Lee Hamero, vice president with the hammer construction. Where are you? But we see what they've done, right? Thank you so very much. Alan Wilson with Wilson and Associates Sports Turf. Where are you? There they are. Thank you for doing what you've done and it's going to be great when we're finished. Randy Bundrick with Electrical Services, Inc. Randy, are you here? Okay. Roscoe Wilson. Roscoe is here. Jason Rouse with him. Prowse, where are you, Jason? Thank you. And all of the other persons whose names we didn't call, thank you so much for your gifts and for what you're doing for this city of ours and of course for this community. Imagination is a gift, I think that is instilled upon each one of us, giving us each smile and face. Every time you walk into this park, you're going to smile because it brings smiles, laughter and a real true sense of competition, playing basketball, baseball. The whole nine yards, it gives us an opportunity to share our gifts. It's my honor and my pleasure today to recognize this space and the many benefits that baseball has for our youth and our community. We've come this far by faith and we're leaning on the Lord. So thank you for being here. Thank you for allowing this field to perpetuate itself. Thank you for allowing our children to not only just meander around during the summer, but to have something for them to do. Thank you so much. We encourage your prayers, your thoughts. We encourage all of the energy that you have within you so that this baseball field will just be a part of a larger phase. This is phase one of what's going to take place from here to West Beltlight. Thank you. Thank you. I want to thank you. Give Ed McDowell a hand now. I want to call my brother and my friend, Dr. Jamie Graham, to come and give to us our invocation. Good morning. We're about with me in prayer. Oh God, our help and ages pass, our hope for years to come. You're our shelter from the stormy blast and yes, you are our eternal home. We come to you, oh God, in the name of Jesus, thanking you for the gift of community, the gift of leadership, the gift of recreation and fun and fellowship. God, we thank you now for allowing us to come to the ceremonial baseball field and allowing us to be able to see the fruit of our labor, the reality of our dreams and our visions. We thank you for Parks and Recreation, for the Randy Davis. Thank you for Brother Ed McDowell, our city council leader, for Senator Scott and all of those who represent our state. We thank you, oh God, for the colony apartments, north point apartments, for Brother James Sanders and all the community representatives today. We thank you, oh God, that you've allowed all of us as a village to come together to make this a reality, for our voices have been heard and Lord God, you're allowing this to come to pass. So bless now these services, this ceremony, that as we to come together as a community, that we may see the fruit of our labor, that our children may grow up in a safe environment and that they may benefit from these, your gifts. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen. Regina Williams is our president for the Booker Washington Association. She's going to come now and bring a welcome. Good morning. I'm Regina E. Williams and I am honored to welcome you to the historic Booker Washington Heights neighborhood where we stand on the positive side of change. This day has been a long time coming. On behalf of the neighborhood, I thank our state legislative delegation for thinking of Booker Washington Heights and the thousands of children in our area. When they were deciding where to allocate funds. I thank Mayor Stephen K. Benjamin, City of Columbia City Council and City Manager, who have generously added additional funding because this is not an inexpensive venture, but our children, our future, they're all worth it. We thank our quietly tenacious City Councilman, Councilman Ed McDowell for mentoring me, I don't know if he wants to admit it, but also for navigating this project along with Randy Davis and his staff at the City of Columbia Parks and Recreation. Finally, I thank our neighbors, especially James Red Sanders, who trust me as president to take their visions and usher Booker Washington Heights to greater and better. Again, welcome and the best is yet to come. Welcome to our field of dreams. I do want to recognize Senator John Scott. John talked to John earlier, and of course with his schedule and all of the things that John does, not only in this city and for this area and statewide, he could not be with us this morning. And of course he made real, he's on a tight schedule right now. So John, I want you to come, say a word. This guy three years ago, three years ago, John and I started talking about the possibility of what we've got out here today. Of course, John said to me, Ed, I said to John, John, I don't have any money. And John says, you let me worry about that. And of course, John, in his own due diligence and his own tenacity came back some months after that conversation and simply says we're going to make this happen. So of course, $341,000. I was going to pick it up by $6,000. $341,000, John got for us, and we were able to do what we're doing here today. So please welcome my friend and my brother, Senator John Scott. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you, Reverend McDowell. You know, they say community organization and structure is something of the past. I will say to you that it's truly not the truth. I can remember on the meeting we had that Saturday and the conversation we had with Reverend McDowell. But across the room, across the table was one James Sanders who looked at me and had basically said they've given up hope that anybody would do anything for this community. They then later on the next Saturday had an event, and they bought all the kids at the Collin apartment to that event. And they came and they talked about the things they wanted and they wanted done for this community. Reverend McDowell and I sit there and we talked and I said to James, we're going to get it done. And there was a funny look on his face because he had heard that before. James, this is your day. Community work, community organization does work. Then I went on to another event. And your president was there. Regina had not gotten the word that we were going to get it done because Reggie had not let the cat out of the bag. Reverend McDowell was doing a good job trying to make sure that the city came up with its portion to make this day a success. And Regina was jumping up and down. I said, Regina, we got money. We're going to get something. No, no, no. Well, Regina, this is your day. We got it done. And as I take my seat, Reverend McDowell, let me make another commitment to this organization, to this community and to the children of this community. The best is yet to come. This is just the start. If other communities can have community centers and gymnasiums and all the kind of things that young children deserve to have, this community certainly can have the same thing. I do apologize to you. And I told Reverend McDowell I could not make it. I'm supposed to be in Bambert on another program. So I'm going to be good and late. But I thought about it as security picked me up. There was a sound in his voice I did not like. So I'm here this morning, Reverend McDowell, this is your day. This is the beginning of the new beginning for this community. Thank y'all so much. When I talked to John this morning, and of course I said, John says, I've got to be in Bamberg at 10 o'clock. I said, okay, he said, man, what is that sound in your voice? I said, it was a sound of anguish. I said, oh, Lord, the man who gives me the money won't be here. But of course he made it here and I'm certainly appreciative of all that you've done. Bishop Mack, Bishop James Mack, one of our pastors in addition to the other pastors in the Bufa Washington Association. Brother Mack, come and say a word to us. Good morning to this great community and to all of the city leaders that have taken upon themselves to commit to their word, and not only to commit to their word, but they've made an valiant effort to see it through. We now have renewed confidence in your words that they're not just empty words with empty promises. So we are excited. This community is excited. As pastors, we are excited. I must say to Dr. Tammy Graham and to the Pastor Cleese Memorial, Pastor Hicks, as well as the Bible Way Church that we have stepped out of our pulpit and we walk in and talk to the residents in this community because we want to be a part. We believe that God is concerned about the total man. No one can hear what I say spiritually until you pick me up out of degradation. And so this is an opportunity for us to put action, not just action, but passion behind what we say. And so we're excited about what is going on, and we're looking to the future. It cannot stop here. This must be only the beginning, and we will celebrate, participate, and support you in all of your efforts to the pastors of the community. Thank you for not just preaching, but becoming an instrument of the very words that you preach. Thank you. Just before we close, I do want to recognize some of our coaches who coach our children. Where are they? There they are. Come around. Come around. On the first now, I want to throw out the first pitch. It won't be a fastball or a curve. It'll just be close to the plate in the mid. How about that? That's fine. Thank you all so much. I want to thank everyone on the program. I want to thank everyone for taking time out to be a part of this ceremony. Thank you all so much for being who you are and who you are. And of course advancing the programs for our children. Thank you all so much.