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\u2019s mainly just trees and dirt now, it won\u2019t be for long. <\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re 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,\u201d said Ward, who along with his wife Tonja and other people associated with the project ceremoniously broke ground at the site. \u201cA lot of people have poured into this vision and we are grateful for them for sure.\u201d<\/p>\n
The Ranch is a one stop shop for athletics, education, wellness, performing arts and life skills, and the goal is to cultivate lifelong champions. <\/p>\n
\u201cToday is really about Tonja and Charlie, their character, the value that they have inside of them to help people in the community,\u201d said Ward\u2019s former Florida State football teammate Warrick Dunn.<\/p>\n
Phase one is the first of three phases in the project, and it includes a multi-sport field and the Champions Caf\u00e9, with a ribbon cutting hopefully set for this time next year.<\/p>\n
\u201cHonestly, it just takes one person, one person that truly believes in a child, truly to pour into a child,\u201d said Kacy Dennis, the CEO of the Boys and Girls Clubs of the Big Bend. \u201cJust imagine having all those different people right here on the Ranch pouring into the kids that\u2019ll come here. It\u2019s a magnificent opportunity. We\u2019re going to change a lot of lives.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s definitely a holistic approach that we\u2019ve embraced because someone helped us get to that point as well,\u201d said Ward. \u201cThey helped us become who we are. This is a microcosm of our life. A family.\u201d<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
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