With this field, the local community has come together to celebrate the life of former Ainsworth Elementary School student, Julia Reimann. On August 4^th, 2008, 10-year-old Julia and her two cousins died when a single-engine plane crashed into the Gearhart, Oregon house their families were vacationing in.

A few salient facts:

· Ainsworth has not had a blade of grass for over 40 years.

· In under a year, the community raised over $350,000 in cash and in-kind contributions from some 250-300 donors for the field project.

· The field is 100′ by 130′ with 13,000 SF of turf.

· The field is the first of its kind utilizing Nike Grind (see details in linked document).

· Portland’s city bureaus (e.g. Development Services, Water, Environmental Services) have been extremely helpful in expediting the field by waiving fees and supporting the aggressive timeline.

· The building permit was granted in April 2009.

· As part of the project, the entire adjacent non-field area has been resurfaced with a fresh coat of blacktop and new striping.

· The logo in the center of the field was originally designed by Julia’s soccer team as a patch players wore for the 2008-2009 soccer season.  It features the number 45 – her soccer jersey number – and a red star, which is from a sweatshirt she wore to every practice.

· The hard work, dedication and donations supplied by Robinson Construction and CARDNO-WRG were critical for completing the project.

Download the fact sheet here

Sheila Hamilton will interview Jon Reimann on Speaking Freely this Sunday. Tune in to hear more about the project.

And please Join us this Wednesday, September 2nd for the dedication ceremony!

What began as simply a notion just a year ago has now become reality. The Julia Reimann Field will be dedicated on September 2nd, 2009 at 5pm on what was once the blacktop at Ainsworth School.

We invite you to join us as the Reimann Family, Ainsworth Elementary School and the local community come together on this day. Your continued support and strength will ensure this beautiful new field has kids playing on it for generations to come.

To volunteer for the set-up and takedown please contact
Nancy Zadoff at znancz@aol.com

Turf installation has begun on the Julia Reimann Field and will be complete by weeks end August 14th. Please mark your calendars for September 2nd for the field dedication and hand- over.

On July 3, 2009, we broke ground on the Julia Reimann Field. The construction crews will be working for the next three to four weekends, Thursday through Saturday, until sub-grade is complete. The Turf will be installed over the sub-grade in early August. This field has the support of Portland Public Schools, the Ainsworth Community as well as our own South West Hills Residential League. If you have any questions please contact: Nancy Zadoff at znancz@aol.com or Maryls Mock at Portland Public Schools (mmock@pps.k12.or.us)

We look forward to seeing this through to completion and hope you will come to the Dedication of the field on September 2nd!

Mark your calendars for Saturday, April 25, 10am-3pm.

Doc Martens and Columbia Sportswear combine forces for a blow out warehouse sale to benefit the Ainsworth School Julia Reimann Field.

Once in a lifetime pricing on cool kicks from Doc Martens and Great clothing from Columbia Sportswear….100% of proceeds will go to the Julia Reimann Field. Limited to stock on hand.

Location: 1333 NW 12th Ave., (Pearl District)

Come join us at the Ainsworth Elementary School Auditorium at 7:00pm on Wednesday, January 21st.  We will discuss the Ainsworth “Whole Child” concept.  This brings the Field project and the Ainsworth Foundation together to combine a strong, robust outdoor experience and a rich educational program of music, art, and classroom activities.