MASON AND EMILY GARCIA GIVE $10,000 TO THE ATHLETIC COMPLEX
Young couple is excited about the possibilities for the community.
WEST LIBERTY, IA – Mason and Emily Garcia of West Liberty, IA are donating $10,000 to the West School District athletic complex. The young couple, and parents of one-year-old twin boys Javy and Lewis, met with school administration last week and plan to put their funds towards a new training room in the indoor facility.
“The indoor facility is going to provide so much for our student-athletes that they don’t have now,” said Adam Loria, Activities Director. “The training room is one of those. Right now, we do not have a training room and the trainer works with students in the hallways without proper equipment and facilities.”
The indoor facility will be built after the completion of phase I which is all the outdoor fields and support buildings. It will have indoor batting cages, a larger weight room, a training room, a classroom, and 50 yards of turf field.
“We are completely out of room with our current setup,” said Loria. “One-day last week we had 80 kids show up to lift and our weight room has a capacity of 25. We need this indoor facility right now, but we can’t build it without support from people like Mason and Emily. A donation this size from a young family like theirs is incredible.”
The Garcias are excited about the possibilities for the new facilities and what that means for the community.
“I grew up here and I live here now. My dad is a life-long coach, and a big part of my life is Comet athletics,” said Mason Garcia. “I’ve traveled to other towns to watch the Comets and some of them have very nice stadiums and fields. I want that for West Liberty.”
Loria wants to build a premium extracurricular program for the district, and the construction project is just one part of the strategy. He’s assessing weight training, family engagement and commitment, nutrition, and more.
“I’m excited to hear that Adam is bringing in a dietitian to meet with the kids,” said Emily Garcia. “I’m a pediatric dietitian at the University of Iowa, and diet is critical to fuel youth athletes. I’m happy to see this project moving forward and hope our boys will get to use it when they get older.”
The school plans to start rough grading on the site in late August. The fields, track, and other facilities should break ground in October. Superintendent Shaun Kruger said plans are coming along and everything is on schedule.
“We are on schedule and excited to get started,” said Kruger. “It’s great meeting all these young families that will be a part of the district for years to come. I want to thank the Garcias for their gift, and all their support for Comet athletics. I can’t wait to see Javy and Lewis in the hallways in a few years.”
Contacts:
Shaun Kruger, West Liberty Superintendent 319-627-2116
Adam Loria, West Liberty Activities Director 319-627-2116