The Miracle League of Southwestern PA

Miracle League of Southwestern PA™ to Build Ballfield for Disabled Children in Cranberry

The Miracle League of Southwestern PATM, a division of the Cranberry Township Athletic Association (CTAA), has reached an agreement with Cranberry Township to integrate a Miracle League field into the baseball complex that the Township is developing in the new Graham Park. As part of the agreement, Cranberry will provide land for the field while CTAA will administer the baseball/softball program on a day-to-day basis once construction of the field is completed in the spring of 2009. Construction costs for the Miracle League Field will be paid for through corporate and private donations raised by The Miracle League of Southwestern PA.

Miracle League baseball provides the opportunity for children with mental and/or physical disabilities a chance to experience playing baseball in a league-based environment. With a specially designed rubber turf field to accommodate wheelchairs and crutches, the Miracle League makes dreams come true for disabled children who, like most children, want to play ball.

“We are extremely happy and fortunate that both Cranberry Township and CTAA have so enthusiastically embraced this concept,” said Mike Sherry, president of the Miracle League of Southwestern PA. “The cooperation of these groups will ensure that the construction of this field happens in an expedited fashion. This field will benefit disabled children all over the region and provide these youngsters with the opportunity to play baseball in an environment similar to the fields their brothers, sisters and friends play on.”

There are currently 180 Miracle League organizations across the country, including Puerto Rico. Eighty of them have completed construction of rubberized fields while the rest remain in various stages of development. More than 25,000 children and young adults with disabilities participate in Miracle Leagues across the United States. And, according to 2000 census statistics, nearly 90,000 disabled children reside in the western Pennsylvania counties of Allegheny, Armstrong, Beaver, Butler Clarion, Lawrence, Mercer, Westmoreland and Venango.

About The Miracle League

The Miracle League concept was developed in Conyers, GA in 2000. 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. “Games” are two innings long and each team and each player always wins. Integral to the Miracle League concept is the “Buddy System.” Buddies assist all Miracle League players. These buddies are mainstream children who play baseball or are members of youth church groups, boys and girls scouts, and other volunteer groups or simply individuals of any age who want to get involved.

The players’ enthusiasm has continued to grow over the years and Miracle League parents tell stories of how their children insist on playing despite bouts with kidney stones, broken bones, and recent hospitalizations. For the kids – 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.

For more information on the national Miracle League organization, visit www.miracleleague.com. To arrange to speak with Mike Sherry or for more information, contact Melanie Finnigan at 412-965-2096.