Will You Help Build A Miracle in Whitfield County?

By Mitch Talley

Whitfield County Director of Communications

Do you want to help make a Miracle happen in Whitfield County?

Then the county Parks & Recreation Department is interested in talking to you.

In less than two years, the county is hoping that North Georgia’s first Miracle Field will be open for use by kids and young adults with disabilities, but a lot of hard work and fund-raising remains to be done for that to happen.

“We need folks that are energetic, that are ready for a challenge, that will be able to start a project and see it to the end” while serving on a steering committee that will oversee the implementation of the county’s Miracle League, said George Page, parks and recreation director.

“The Miracle Field is going to happen. It’s just a matter of when it’s going to happen. And the more energetic volunteers and the more fund-raisers we have, the sooner it’ll happen.”

County commissioners recently approved joining the Miracle League’s national organization and granted permission to form a local steering committee for the league.

One member of the committee already is Steven Nealey, a local volunteer who saw a Miracle Field in Panama City Beach, Fla., a few  years ago and decided that Whitfield County needs such a field, too.

Since that time, Nealey has become a vocal supporter of the concept and recently visited an impressive field in Dothan, Ala.

“The Miracle Field is something that has been needed for Whitfield and surrounding counties for a long time,” he said. “You can’t put a monetary value on what it would mean to the kids. You’ll definitely see a lot of smiles on the field.”

Page said the county is close to getting a final cost on the construction of the Miracle Field, “and once we have that, the committee will get a game plan together and go out and present our dream to the community.”

The Miracle Field will be at the new Westside Park, a 23-acre site currently under construction on Landfill Road across from the old Westside Landfill, with completion targeted by New Year’s Eve 2010. Grading is being done now by the county Public Works crews as time allows.

The new park will include four baseball/softball fields, a football/soccer field, playground equipment, picnic pavilions, concession stands, and restrooms – all with easy access for  the handicapped.

Page said among the committee members, he would like to have parents of children or young adults with disabilities to serve on the steering committee, as well as young people with disabilities to offer their viewpoints since they will be the ones primarily targeted by the Miracle Field facilities.

“We feel a lot of excitement coming out, especially from the Westside community,” Page said. “They’re going to be part of something special; their community park is going to have a Miracle Field, and that’s where all the action is going to happen.”

The Miracle Field is not  your typical ball field.

“Other fields are just regular dirt and sod or grass; you grade it, throw down some sod or grass, and boom,” Page said. “The Miracle Field – you grade it and then you have to put a two-inch base of asphalt, pack it, just like  a road basically, and then you put rubberized surfacing on top of it. For somebody in a wheelchair, it’s just as easy as riding on dirt.”

The cost of the Miracle Field will be considerably higher than ordinary fields, too, and that’s where the community can also help with donations.

“We’re going to have to fund-raise,” Page said. “We’re hoping for some corporate sponsorships, but we’re also looking to get local  businesses and industries that want to donate. Whether it’s a first grader saving up his or her pennies or corporate sponsorships, once we get the campaign going, every penny counts. That’s the beauty of this campaign – this is a project everybody, and I mean everybody, can be a part of.”

Another beauty of the campaign – “If someone makes a donation to the Miracle League field, they will be able to ride to Westside Park once it’s built and see that their money was used wisely and say I gave to a good cause and look what’s built,” Page said.

Westside Park is on Landfill Road, but residents there were recently surveyed and 62 percent expressed approval of a name change to Miracle Drive. Once the appropriate steps have been taken by the county, the name change will take effect.

Page is excited about the Miracle Field because it will be unique in this area.

“We have so many athletic fields in North Georgia already,” he said, “but there’s not a field in North Georgia that is designed specifically for someone with disabilities.”

But it won’t be just for Special Olympics-type players. “There are many kids in this county that may be confined to a wheelchair but don’t qualify for  Special Olympics,” Page said. “There’s that population that isn’t able to participate in Special Olympics sports or county youth sports, so the Miracle Field will be an opportunity for anyone who has disabilities to have the opportunity to play.”

The league will also use mainstream players as “buddies” to help the handicapped players learn more about the game and how to play.

When the Miracle League isn’t in action, the county can also use the fields for coach pitch, tee-ball, or soccer.

“After we build this, years from now, it’s our overall goal for others with the same dream to say we need to look at how Whitfield County did it,” Page said. “We want the national office to say it would be well worth the trip to go to Rocky Face, Georgia to see how the folks in Whitfield County made their dream a reality because they did it right.”

But first, it’ll take local residents to  make a place in their hearts to serve on the steering committee. If  you’d like to offer your help, call Page at 706-226-8341.

“We are excited about this league,” he said. “It’s a worthy project that the community can definitely go to bat for.”

MORE ABOUT THE MIRACLE LEAGUE

In 1997 Rockdale Youth Baseball Association’s coach Eddie Bagwell invited the first disabled child Michael to play baseball on his team. Michael, a 7-year-old child in a wheelchair, attended every game and practice, while cheering on his 5-year-old brother play America’s favorite pass-time.

And in 1998, the Rockdale Youth Baseball Association (RYBA) formed the Miracle League to further its mission of providing opportunities for all children to play baseball regardless of their ability. The disabled children in the community had expressed the desire to dress in uniforms, make plays in the field, and round the bases just like their healthy peers. The league began with 35 players on four teams.

There were no programs for the Miracle League to copy. It was decided that:

• Every player bats once each inning
• All players are safe on the bases
• Every player scores a run before the inning is over (last one up gets a home run)
• Community children and volunteers serve as ‘buddies’ to assist the players
• Each team and each player wins every game

The main concern was the playing surface, presenting potential safety hazards for players in wheelchairs or walkers.

In its spring 1999 season, the Miracle League gained support and became a source of pride for all involved as participation grew to over 50 players. During that season, the magnitude of the need for such a program was recognized. It was learned that there are over 50,000 plus children in Metro Atlanta who are disabled to some degree that keeps them from participating in team sports. That is when the dream of building a unique baseball complex for these special children was conceived.

The Rotary Clubs of Rockdale County and Conyers stepped forward to form the Rotary Miracle League Fund, Inc., a 501 (c) 3 organization. The new organization had two objectives: (1) raise the funds necessary to build a special complex with facilities that meet the unique needs of the Miracle League players, and (2) assist in the outreach efforts for Miracle Leagues across the country.

With the help of community volunteers and companies, the design and construction of the first Miracle League complex was underway. The complex would include a custom-designed field with a cushioned rubberized surface to help prevent injuries, wheelchair accessible dugouts, and a completely flat surface to eliminate any barriers to wheelchair-bound or visually impaired players. The design also included three grass fields, which could be converted to the synthetic rubber surface as the league grew. In addition, accessible restrooms, a concession stand, and picnic pavilion were included in the design

The Miracle League complex was completed in April 2000. On opening day, the Miracle League rosters had grown to over 100 players. The players raced around the bases and chatted with their teammates in the dugouts as they celebrated. Nicholas Slade, a player who had been in a coma just a week before, threw out the first ball.

The players’ enthusiasm has continued to grow. By spring, 2002, over 250 players filled the Miracle League rosters. The parents tell stories of their children insisting on playing despite bouts with kidney stones, broken bones, and recent hospitalizations. The thrill of playing, the cheers from the stands, and the friendships they develop make the Miracle League Field an oasis away from their everyday battles.

In its first season, there were no programs to copy. It was decided that each player would bat once each inning that all batters would be safe and score a run before the inning was over. Each team and each player always wins. Our umpire describes this as the only league where no one ever gets mad at him or her.

“Buddies” assist Miracle League player. These buddies are mainstream children who play baseball, youth church groups, boys and girls scouts to mention a few. As a result, the parents, children and volunteers are all brought together – special needs and mainstream alike-in a program, which serves them all through service to children with special needs. The program is opened to children from any community and, until December 1, 2001 was one of a kind.