TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (WCTV) – Hundreds of people gathered at the future site of Charlie Ward Champions Ranch off Capital Circle in Tallahassee Monday, and while it’s mainly just trees and dirt now, it won’t be for long.
“We’re definitely grateful for this opportunity because it has been a lot of trials and tribulations and meetings and vision casting and all those different things,” said Ward, who along with his wife Tonja and other people associated with the project ceremoniously broke ground at the site. “A lot of people have poured into this vision and we are grateful for them for sure.”
The Ranch is a one stop shop for athletics, education, wellness, performing arts and life skills, and the goal is to cultivate lifelong champions.
“Today is really about Tonja and Charlie, their character, the value that they have inside of them to help people in the community,” said Ward’s former Florida State football teammate Warrick Dunn.
Phase one is the first of three phases in the project, and it includes a multi-sport field and the Champions Café, with a ribbon cutting hopefully set for this time next year.
“Honestly, it just takes one person, one person that truly believes in a child, truly to pour into a child,” said Kacy Dennis, the CEO of the Boys and Girls Clubs of the Big Bend. “Just imagine having all those different people right here on the Ranch pouring into the kids that’ll come here. It’s a magnificent opportunity. We’re going to change a lot of lives.”
“It’s definitely a holistic approach that we’ve embraced because someone helped us get to that point as well,” said Ward. “They helped us become who we are. This is a microcosm of our life. A family.”
A family who is now making dreams come true. Champions Ranch is set to partner with over 30 organizations, like AAU, FCA, and the Boys and Girl Club. The latter will have a campus on the Ranch, something Dennis said is such a special opportunity for youth in the Big Bend.
For more information on the Ranch, click here.
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