By Maria Belen Quellet

In the late spring of 2018, the year Comunidad first started, Maralee Gutierrez, the Executive Director, was introduced to community leaders. Her goal was to come alongside these locally rooted leaders and together, work towards a common good. She asked them about their hopes and dreams for their community, and among the many responses one kept coming back: They told her they wanted grass on the soccer field outside the Willston Multicultural Center in the Seven Corners area of Falls Church.

“La Polvorosa” in Spanish, which closely translates to the “dust bowl” or “dusty one,” was how many referred to this dusty patch of earth. Games were played regardless of the player’s eyes burning when the soccer ball was blasted against the dirt. This fine, powdery dust covered every surface from clothing to arms, legs, and shoes, painting everything it landed on a muted, sepia-toned haze of dust. The field was true to its name, “La Polvorosa”.

The soccer field was not their only concern: At the top of the list was also academic enrichment for their children, opportunities to play a variety of sports, lights on broken lamp posts, and safe crosswalks, to name a few. And getting grass on the soccer field, which came up repeatedly, year after year.

The key, Maralee understood, was adopting a participatory design—a collaborative approach where everyone involved, including stakeholders and community members, takes an active role in shaping the solution. This method focuses on making decisions collectively and incorporating input from all those affected by the final design. Engaging everyone in the process ensures that the solution is not only well-informed but also widely supported and more likely to address the diverse needs of the community effectively.

While Maralee brought the community’s concern to the local government, one family started fundraising to help get grass on the soccer field. Steven was 7 when he accompanied his father Alex, who had lived in the area for 20 years, to knock on doors with the list of materials needed to put grass on the field and ask for donations. Steven even pitched in with five dollars of his own. All in all, they managed to raise $403, which was a modest sum compared to the $250,000 needed to properly seed and transform the soccer field.

Thus, the collaborative approach took place. “When we can do something, we do”, says one of the community leaders. And they did, the families helped and for four days in a row, they seeded the field, added fertilizer, and covered it with hay, to help retain soil moisture and protect the grass seedlings as they grew. They took turns watering the soccer field and even created a committee watch group to take care of it.

This is the field of dreams that now brings families together. Not only is it the perfect setting for the Willston Multicultural Center which serves residents of all ages and abilities, but also the Neighborhood and Community Services (NCS) after-school program, and the Seven Corners Children’s Daycare Center. It is also home to Comunidad’s soccer clinic which hosted 30 boys and girls this summer led by volunteer coaches, which ended with the Seven Corners “Copa” tournament this past Thursday. This field of dreams continues to give back, by hosting family soccer nights regularly.

As Maralee stated: “The field represents belonging, and caring. It represents community, it represents us, we have needs, and the field has needs. If we are not caring for the field, we are not caring for the community. I’m proud to say, there is no better place to see the power of community members and stakeholders locking arms towards a common good, than walking on this soccer field lush with green grass.”

Comunidad truly believes that if the power and leadership of individuals are harnessed effectively, their community will not only thrive but also experience significant transformation. This philosophy extends to tangible results, such as the grass now flourishing on the soccer field—once known as the Dust Bowl or “La Polvorosa.” The field stands as a testament to the positive change that can occur when collective effort and visionary leadership come together.