Ever wonder why the Forest Youth Athletic Association fields on Route 811 are called the Jump Park?  To get the answer, you have to go back over 25 years ago when George Rawls, and a group of men joined together to develop a youth sports organization.  These men raised the funds to purchase enough land at the sports complex for two ball fields.  Soon after they joined with a group of women from Timberlake to purchase more land and put in a playground.  To gather support, they used the slogan “Join Us in Making a Park”, thus the JUMP Park was born.  Today, that youth sports complex is made up of 45 acres including baseball fields, football fields, soccer fields, a playground and a walking trail through the woods.  The latest addition is the area at the intersection of Turkey Foot Road and Thomas Jefferson Road , known as the Nissan Sports Complex.

The FYAA is a non profit 501(c) 3 organization that is owned by the Forest Community and is now a part of the group of ten associations within the Bedford County Parks and Recreation Department.  When the Board of Directors of FYAA decided to join the Bedford County Parks and Rec Dept, they merged the Forest and New London sports organizations into one group.  All decisions regarding policies and fees are made by the Board of Directors, under the guidelines of the Bedford Parks and Recreation.  The FYAA Board is made up of twenty members of the community. 

While the FYAA is an association operating under the guidelines of Bedford County Parks, only about 20% of their funding comes from the county, and is used primarily to pay the umpires, mow and line the fields, reseed the fields once each year, and provide bathroom supplies.  The remaining 80% comes from the fees charged to participate and donations from the community. Fees cover uniforms, building costs, insurance, salaries for the four staff members, as well as upkeep of the grounds and playground.   

Over the years, Board Members and the staff have done a tremendous job securing donations from the local business community. Last year, the Board of Directors decided to increase the participation fee rather than continue the tradition of fundraising. It’s this hard work and dedication that has allowed the organization to grow to the current 45 acres and provide youth activities for so many children.