Brookfield schools gets help from Cafaro Foundation

Staff report

BROOKFIELD

The Cafaro Foundation is donating $50,000 to help the Brookfield Local School District start renovating Addison Stadium.

The Ohio Office of Civil Rights determined that the stadium was not compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act. The total cost of renovating the athletic facility to meet ADA standards is nearly $500,000.

The new expense comes as the district has been working to emerge from fiscal emergency status. There is no funding available within the current school budget to pay for the necessary upgrades.

“Unfunded mandates like this leave school districts in the lurch and they hit student athletes hard,” William A. Cafaro, foundation trustee, said in a news release. “The school board has no choice but to reach out to local businesses and foundations for help. We’re hoping that our donation encourages others in the community to step up and join us in helping Brookfield renovate its stadium.”

Timothy Saxton, Brookfield superintendent said in the release the situation affects the whole school community.

“I would like to thank the Cafaro Foundation for helping to jump-start this project,” he said. “I am hopeful that other individuals or groups will offer assistance in our attempt to correct this inadequacy.”

The Cafaro Foundation is a charitable entity established by the Cafaro family in memory of William M. Cafaro, the founder of the real-estate development and management company that bears his name.

For more than a half-century, Cafaro, along with his wife, Alyce, and brother, John A. Cafaro, supported churches, schools, hospitals and other charitable causes. Since its inception in 1996, the foundation has awarded millions of dollars in grants to worthy organizations and individuals.