More grants from partnerships helping Pinellas kids play sports

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. - Ferg’s Sports Bar is a popular place to watch sports in St. Pete. Now, though, they’re helping kids play sports.

"I am so excited growing up here in South St. Pete," Mark Ferguson, the owner of Ferg’s, said. "So now we have somebody that's going to help all the youth teams in St. Pete."

The bar is partnering with the St. Petersburg Police Department and CFY, a nonprofit in Pinellas County that gives grants to groups to help cover things like registration fees, equipment and uniforms for underserved youth. Programs apply and CFY vets them to make sure they meet the criteria.

CFY just expanded into St. Pete and its executive director says the partnership made it possible to give out nearly $50,000 in grants there. 

"There's different things that he'll [Ferguson] be doing at the restaurant during the course of the year that'll be fundraisers to go back to CFY to distribute the funds," CFY Executive Director Kevin Dunbar said.

The St. Pete Police Department is also kicking in $25,000 a year. It’s an important cause for Chief Anthony Holloway, who used to be on the nonprofit’s board of trustees.

READ: Pass-a-Grille Beach renourishment set to continue after federal approval

"There are a lot of parents out there that have to make up their mind to pay for this, or, ‘do I need to get my child involved in that,’" Holloway said. "By getting your child off the streets and by giving these kids something else to do, it really gives us an opportunity, not only as a city, but as a county to grow."

St. Pete Lil’ Devils is one of the recipients.

"We live in a community where the demographic is below poverty level for a lot of our parents," Princess Daughtry, St. Pete Lil’ Devils’ Chair Coordinator, said. "For a lot of years, coaches, board members, we paid for cheerleaders and football players to play football. And so, receiving this grant, it'll allow the parent to still have some sense of pride and dignity and saying, ‘oh yes, I can pay some,’ but they’re also able to get sponsorship from the community and from the grant."

The football and cheer program serves more than 300 kids.

"The impact is tremendous because we don't only play football and cheer. We are like counselors to some of these kids. You know, we feed them. We do whatever it takes to be what they need for them. So, it's greater than football. It’s greater than being a coach and a cheerleading coach. It's about being a person that they can look up to and is inspired to be. With the grant money from CFY, it’ll allow more kids to participate," Daughtry said.

The nonprofit gave out more than $100,000 in grants county-wide this grant cycle, one of six throughout the year. It’s the most ever in its nearly 60 years.

Dunedin Little League is another recipient. 

"This is huge for us because without grants like this, we’d have to increase registration, and we don't want to do that," Meagan Barrows, President of Dunedin Little League, said. "We want to make baseball an opportunity for everyone."

Barrows said they plan to use the grant to replace the scoreboards. One is currently on the ground thanks to a storm earlier this year, and many are intermittently working.

READ: Crews break ground on One Tampa high-rise, set to be city's tallest residential tower

"I am questioned about our scoreboards multiple times a day. So, it's a thorn in everybody's side. So, this was something that just, I'm so excited to move forward with and get it fixed and help everyone," Barrows said.

Every dollar donated to CFY goes directly to the kids, Dunbar said.

"The coaches, the board members of these organizations are able to focus on the prize, which are the kids and so, by us providing the funding, they're not trying to either figure out how to raise funds or they're not trying to figure out what they're going to do about turning a child away," he said.

READ: Woman adrift at sea rescued after 37 hours, found 50 miles away

CFY also partners with the Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office and the Clearwater Police Department. They also fund post-secondary education.

CFY serves more than 40 programs in Pinellas County and more than 15,000 kids. They’ll be donating close to $1 million total this year across the county.

SIGN UP: Click here to sign up for the FOX 13 daily newsletter

WATCH FOX 13 NEWS