Happy Holidays to all from the Miracle League Advisory Board!
We’d like to share the latest update on the good things happening for the Miracle League.
Mural: The proposed mural on the support building at the Miracle Field is moving closer to reality. lululemon has committed this week to a donation of $1,800 towards the cost of the mural. The MLA and the Kelley Cares Foundation will fund the rest once the final price is known. Pat has initiated contact with the Rec Department’s Arts Office so we can take the necessary steps to get official approval. Looking like we will finally have a mural at the Field.
Youth Sports Advisory Board: On December 14th, the YSAB recognized volunteers from various youth sports groups. They asked the Miracle League to participate so Mac and I decided to nominate Deb Riley (parent of Tucker) and Janet Eissenstat (parent of Jake and Alex) as our volunteers. We had a short timeframe to do the nomination, so I apologize for not contacting the entire Board. However, I can’t think of anyone who would be a better representative of the Miracle League than those two. It was a very nice ceremony and a certificate was given to each recognizing their efforts. Mac, Donnie, Laura, and myself are members of the YSAB and were very proud of how our nominees represented the MLA.
The Upcoming Sports Year: Mac and Jackie have really put together an exciting schedule for 2016. The baseball games will be held as usual, with the one exception being that the youth games will now be played on Wednesdays at 4:30 instead of Friday evenings. This will allow more of the Therapeutic Recreation (TR) kids to play since they will already be at the Lee Center for their after school program. In a major expansion of the Miracle League program, Mac and Jackie have added 7 new sports for the kids to do – Rugby, Lacrosse, Soccer, Tennis, Volleyball, Floor Hockey, and Basketball. These will be done in three week blocks during the year and will be held on Wednesdays after school. Mac will work with the youth sports clubs for each sport to arrange for help at the games. For example, he already has a commitment from the Alexandria Lacrosse Club to purchase 40 Lacrosse helmets for our players to use. Mac, Jackie, and their respective staffs are to be congratulated for such a bold step to help our special needs community. It is heartwarming to see the program expand in such a fashion. See the full 2016 schedule. Please come to any of the games during the year to see our players learn new sports and show off their skills.
Thanks,
Bill Rivers
Chair, Miracle League of Alexandria Advisory Board