Charlotte, N.C. – The Knothole Foundation, Inc. ("Knothole") in conjunction with Queens University of Charlotte ("Queens") today announced a Grand Opening ceremony and festival that will take place on Saturday, October 19, 2019 at 11 a.m. that will recognize the official opening of the "Tuckaseegee Dream Fields and Education Center," a youth baseball and academic complex at 7531-33 Tuckaseegee Road, Charlotte, NC 28214. The entire community is encouraged to attend.

Knothole is re-developing a former Optimist Club site into a state-of-the-art multi-field academic and athletic complex, the initial phase of which consists of a youth development field, a full collegiate field, and supporting infrastructure. Subsequent phases could potentially include additional fields and project amenities, particularly a multi-purpose stadium, educational center, as well as a clubhouse/locker room facility together with project lighting. Knothole will use the redeveloped project as "home base" to drive transformative programming for the underserved youth in the West Charlotte area.

The festivities will feature Morris Madden singing the Star Spangled Banner. Jeff Schaefer, Morris Madden, and Alan Barnes, all principals of Knothole, will preside over the Grand Opening, and offer brief remarks, as well as sharing our collective vision and project. Keynote speakers include Julie Eiselt, Mayor Pro Tem & Council Member, Vilma Leake – County Commissioner of District 2, Braxton Winston – Council Member at Large, and Jack McDowell and Al Daspin, Baseball Coaches at Queens University.

Knothole and Queens previously announced the contribution from the MLB-MLBPA Youth Development Foundation in the amount of $400,000 to aid in the completion of the project. The MLB-MLBPA Youth Development Foundation is a joint initiative by MLB and MLBPA to support efforts that focus on improving the caliber, effectiveness and availability of amateur baseball and softball programs across the United States and around the world. The Foundation aims to enhance the quality of baseball and softball education, address overall youth participation, and help secure positive outcomes for youth from underserved communities through efforts that strengthen their connection to the sport.

"The project will be a self-sustaining community center piece of youth development, and will change the narrative in West Charlotte. Paying back to the community and paying it forward will define the program and will be the real "game changer" in West Charlotte," according to Jack McDowell, Head Baseball Coach, Queens.

In addition to the funding provided by the MLB-MLBPA Youth Development Foundation, Knothole and Queens would like to thank the many existing donors and prospective supporters who have made this project successful. These include the Bill and Sharon Allen Foundation, Stick Williams, the Foundation for the Carolinas, Amazon, Sonic Automotive, the City of Charlotte, American Airlines, First American Title Insurance Company, Funderburg Farms, Daktronics, J.B. Presslar Trucking, Cummings Construction, State Employees Credit Union, Cannon Foundation, Z. Smith Reynolds Foundation, Louis DeJoy Family Foundation, First Horizon Foundation, Adams Beverage, The Charlotte Knights, the John F. Smiekel Foundation, Weather Tech Corporation, The Dunspaugh-Dalton Foundation, Coterra Capital, Arjuna Capital, Publix Grocery Stores, Winston & Strawn, the Opus Group of Companies, VanTrust Real Estate, Wintrust, Signature Bank, the Carolina Hurricanes Foundation, USA Baseball, Best in Class Showcases, USSSA Baseball, the Carolinas Baseball Center, Pitch In For Baseball, Daspin & Aument, Atrium Health, Barings, Perdue Farms Foundation, CPI Security, BB&T, and Coke Consolidated. Capital Bank has provided project financing and other support for the project. We would also like to thank the Optimist Club and other community partners such as Harvest Church, Carmel Baptist Church, Tuckaseegee Elementary, and Wilson STEM Academy for providing vital support systems and services. Finally, we would like to acknowledge the tremendous support of our design and construction professionals, Bloc Design, WHN Architects, Cummings Construction, and Krueger Construction.

About the MLB-MLBPA Youth Development Foundation

The MLB-MLBPA Youth Development Foundation is a joint initiative by MLB and MLBPA to support efforts that focus on improving the caliber, effectiveness and availability of amateur baseball and softball programs across the United States and around the world. The Foundation aims to enhance the quality of baseball and softball education, address overall youth participation, and help secure positive outcomes for youth from underserved communities through efforts that strengthen their connection to the sport.

About The Knothole Foundation, Inc.

Knothole is a not-for-profit public benefit corporation organized for public and charitable purposes, including educational and athletic purposes. Knothole has been organized by the principals of the U Deserve A Chance Foundation ("UDACF") and the Carolinas Metro Reds ("CMR") to compliment the services furnished and purposes served by each of UDACF and CMR. Knothole exists to provide quality recreation, education, connection, and opportunity.

Its members will dedicate time and energy to teach, encourage and assist underserved communities and their constituents.

The mission of Knothole is to create life opportunities for underserved youth in West Charlotte by providing access to facilities, education, mentoring, life-skills services, health and wellness protocols, and collegiate visibility. In doing so we hope to develop the skills and abilities of underserved youth to the highest level and, in turn, pave pathways to a more prosperous future and community. For more information, visit www.knotholecarolinas.com and follow Knothole on Facebook and Twitter.