Arlington community members gathered to celebrate the opening of the Rev. Dr. David and Judy Joeckel Athletic Field with a ribbon-cutting at Grace Lutheran Church and School Wednesday.

The Arlington Tomorrow Foundation, the YMCA of Arlington and the Grace Lutheran Church and School collaborated to prepare the field for the community, the YMCA of Arlington youth sports and sports activities from UT-Arlington.

"It 's truly going to impact and change lives, " said Rev. Dr. Russell C. Hildebrandt, current senior pastor at Grace Lutheran Church.

Special guests at the ceremony included Arlington Mayor Robert Cluck and Council Member Lana Wolff. Both serve on the board of directors for the Arlington Tomorrow Foundation, which granted $100,000 for the field.

"That 's probably the best $100,000 we 've ever spent, " said Cluck, who posed for pictures with the third through eighth graders of Grace Lutheran School who smiled and shook his hand during the ceremony.

Rev. Dr. David and Judy Joeckel attended the event with other members of the Joeckel family and thanked their family and the Grace Lutheran Church congregation for support before cutting the ribbon.

Roberto Aguirre, president and CEO of the YMCA of Arlington, said the completion of the field falls in line with the mission of the YMCA to foster better communities for children.

"The field is uniting the community, " Aguirre said.