WATERLOO, IOWA (March 29,2017)—Recently, the Iowa Parks and Recreation Association held its annual conference in Waterloo, and Bob Hellman was presented with the Claude Ahrens Community Service Award! The award is given every year to a citizen outside the parks and recreation profession who has supported recreational activities and resources within their communities, area, and state.
As the founder of Build Our Ballpark, Hellman has helped create 39 state-of-the-art playing fields in five Iowa communities and one in California. Bob started “playing it forward” in 2007 with the construction of Hellman Field at the Dr. Walter Cunningham School for Excellence. All of these fields have created partnerships with some of the best community organizations throughout the state.
“I am personally proud of the nonprofit we launched 10 years ago this month with our flagship at Cunningham School, and grateful to all of the support we’ve received from so many generous people,” Hellman said.
Most recently, Build Our Ballpark has teamed up with the Cedar Valley SportsPlex to start the Cedar Valley Elite Baseball and Softball Academies, which provide kids with an opportunity to hone their ball-playing skills during the winter months. Build Our Ballpark also annually hosts the Run the Bases 5K to help raise funds to create new ballparks.
Bob Hellman and Build Our Ballpark are proud and honored to accept the Claude Ahrens Community Service Award this year.
