Musco Lighting - Miracle League opens doors

Miracle League opens doors
for physically challenged kids
Cooperation and innovative fund-raising make a dream
come true for physically challenged athletes

Miracle League players are paired with “buddies” who help them make plays and protect them from getting hurt. Many buddies are the players’ able-bodied peers.

Citizens in Rockdale County, Georgia, witnessed a 'miracle' last spring as the community pulled together to build a baseball complex unlike any other in the U.S.

In order to give physically challenged kids the chance to play ball, the local baseball association formed the Miracle League. They began rebuilding old practice fields to accommodate the new league.

While most fields are “handicap accessible,” planners wanted this facility built especially for the disabled — a bit of a challenge since there were no existing blueprints to follow.

Their plan included one field with a special surface for wheelchair-bound kids, and three grass fields for those able to walk.

Armed with a dream and a plan, fund-raising campaigns went public. Response was overwhelming — with funds and volunteer labor.

They soon had enough funds to not only rebuild the fields, but to light them, giving even more kids a chance to play.

Sandra Hill, owner of Southern Outdoor Lighting, a valued contractor for Musco sales representative Don Jordan, first explored repairing the lights on the old practice field. However, the existing lights were 15 years old and inoperable. Hill insisted if fund-raisers were going to light the fields they might as well go for the best — Musco’s Light-Structure 2™.

Hill and Jordan worked out a plan to keep costs down. Organizers also used Musco’s “Pennant Program™,” a fund-raising campaign, to raise money to light all four fields.

Because of the tremendous efforts of everyone involved, the complex was completed in record time — 75 days.

Miracle League’s first two years has grown in popularity from a few dozen players to more than 100. This new complex will be able to serve more than 500. Some parents bring their children more than 100 miles just to be part of the action each week. •