2020 Fall Miracle League Season Canceled Due to COVID-19

The Miracle League of Alexandria is sad to announce that due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the 2020 Fall Miracle League Baseball and Adaptive Sports Seasons has been canceled. We are sad that our programs are unable to play again this year, but hope to be playing again in the Spring of 2021.

On behalf of the MLA Board Members and Recreation Department staff, we hope all our players, parents, volunteers and staff will stay healthy and safe during these tough incredible times. We will keep you updated on our spring plans.

If you have any questions, please contact me at [email protected].

2020 Spring Miracle League Season Canceled Due to COVID-19

The Miracle League of Alexandria is sad to announce that due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the 2020 Spring Miracle League Baseball Season has been canceled.

We will miss our players, parents and volunteers this spring, but hope to be playing beginning in September.

On behalf of the MLA Board Members and Recreation Department staff, we hope all our players, parents, volunteers and staff will stay healthy and safe during these tough incredible times. We will keep you updated on our fall plans.

If you have any questions, please contact me at [email protected]. Below is the official announcement put out by the Alexandria Department of Recreation, Parks and Cultural Activities on the cancelation of all spring programs.

Department of Recreation, Parks and Cultural Activities Announces Additional Service Adjustments and Offers Virtual Programming

For Immediate Release: March 30, 2020

Due to the on-going COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic, the Department of Recreation, Parks and Cultural Activities (RPCA) has made the following service adjustments:

·         All spring programs, classes, activities, sports leagues, Out of School Time programs and camps taking place prior to June 22 are cancelled.

·         The opening of registration for summer programs is delayed until at least May 6. Summer registration applies to classes, leagues and activities taking place June 22 through September 4.

·         Summer camp registration is suspended until at least May 6.

·         All facility and picnic reservations are suspended until at least May 6.

To continue to provide opportunities that improve the well-being of the community, RPCA is now offering virtual programming. Visit alexandriava.gov/Recreation for a list of free virtual opportunities to exercise your mind and body from home. Program options include performances, fitness classes, poetry readings, and activities for youth. New programs are being added regularly, so check back often.

The Alexandria Health Department strongly urges everyone to stay home except for essential trips such as food purchases and medical care, and keep six feet apart from others when in public. Each individual can help stop the spread of COVID-19 coronavirus in our community by following this guidance:

·         DO: Maintain six feet of personal space

·         DO: Cover your coughs and sneezes

·         DO: Wash your hands often or use hand sanitizer

·         DO: Call your doctor and describe symptoms before going

·         DON’T: Leave the house if you’re sick

·         DON’T: Attend any non-essential gatherings, or any gatherings of over 10 people

Visit alexandriava.gov/Coronavirus for the most up-to-date information from the Alexandria Health Department. For questions about COVID-19, call the Alexandria COVID-19 Information Line at 703.746.4988, weekdays from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Virginia residents can also call the Virginia Department of Health public information line, 877-ASK-VDH3, for questions about the novel coronavirus situation.

Visit alexandriava.gov/Recreation for RPCA service updates and virtual programming opportunities.  

Update from Miracle League of Alexandria

Everyone,

As we all know these are very trying times for our country, state and the City of Alexandria. Our Miracle League season could very well be in jeopardy with the COVID-19 virus spreading and for us all to take more drastic steps than normal to stay healthy and safe. 

As our season comes closer to beginning in April, we will continue to follow all Virginia state and City of Alexandria guidelines in determining if the youth and adult seasons will occur. Below is the latest update from today (3/23/2020) from Governor of Virginia Ralph Northam on the closing of all school systems in the state and a copy of a letter from the Alexandria Department of Recreation, Parks and Cultural Activities, Director about the City response to this crisis.

The MLA of Alexandria Board strongly encourages everyone to follow all the CDC precautions of being safe and healthy as we all go through this crisis together.

We will post any MLA programming updates when they become available.  Please take care of yourself and your family and we hope to see you soon. If you have any questions, please contact me at [email protected]

Mac Slover
Chairman
Miracle League of Alexandria

Virginia Closes Schools for the Year Amid Coronavirus

March 23, 2020 at 4:00 p.m. EDT

Virginia closed its public schools for the rest of the academic year and Maryland ordered all non-essential businesses to shut their doors on Monday as the coronavirus continued to spread, with health care workers sounding the alarm about dwindling supplies of protective gear.

The total number of confirmed cases in the region had reached 628 as of Monday afternoon, with the District expected to report its new cases later in the day. Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam (D) said the state was “moving into a period of sacrifice” and canceled the remainder of the public school year — becoming the second state to do so, after Kansas.

Northam also ordered restaurants to stop serving sit-down diners.

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March 18, 2020

Dear RPCA Families and Friends,

The Alexandria Health Department recommends that all community members change their daily behavior to reduce risk from COVID-19 Coronavirus, particularly to protect our most vulnerable populations. The City of Alexandria has already taken proactive measures to further reduce risk and encourages all organizations and individuals to take necessary steps to prevent the spread of COVID-19.

In response to Governor Ralph Northam’s announcement to avoid non-essential gatherings of more than 10 people per federal guidelines, the Department of Recreation, Parks and Cultural Activities (RPCA) is implementing the following service delivery adjustments to be effective beginning March 19:

  • The following facilities are open Monday through Friday, from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. through April 10:
    • Lee Center is open for any essential City operations.
    • Charles Houston and Patrick Henry Recreation Centers are open for individual use of public Wi-Fi, workspaces, and Safe Place services. All other facility amenities are closed and groups of 10 or more will be prohibited.
  • All recreation programs, classes, activities, sports leagues, Out of School Time programs and Spring Break camps are suspended through April 10.
  • All private facility and picnic rentals are suspended through April 10.
  • All reservations and registrations are suspended until at least April 1.
  • The following facilities are closed through April 10: Jerome “Buddie” Ford Nature Center; Chinquapin Park Recreation Center & Aquatics Facility; Mount Vernon Recreation Center; Leonard “Chick” Armstrong Recreation Center; William Ramsay Recreation Center; Nannie J. Lee Recreation Center; Oswald Durant Center; and Charles Barrett Recreation Center.

Based upon the guidance from the Alexandria Health Department and the Center for Disease Control and Prevention to cancel or postpone in-person gatherings of 50 or more people for the next 8 weeks, RPCA is implementing the following adjustments to be effective March 19:

  • All permitted and City-produced special events are suspended through May 17.
  • Torpedo Factory Art Center is closed to the public through May 17.

All parks, trails, fields, and playgrounds remain open to the public. To protect themselves and others, patrons are requested to practice social distancing by maintaining six feet of personal space, wash their hands often or use a hand sanitizer with at least 60% alcohol, and clean and disinfect frequently touched surfaces.

Credits or refunds will be issued for all rentals and activities that are cancelled.

Visit alexandriava.gov/Recreation for RPCA registration, program, and facility operating status updates.

Visit alexandriava.gov/Coronavirus for the most up-to-date information from the Alexandria Health Department.

Sincerely,
James Spengler
Director

Miracle League of Alexandria Members Selected As Living Legends Of Alexandria Honorees For 2020

Living Legends of Alexandria is pleased to announce the selection of Living Legends for 2020. The 2020 Living Legends were vetted from an array of nominations that were submitted by the public and received through fall of last year. These community leaders were chosen based on their having met one or both of two selection criteria as evidence of having improved the quality of life in the City of Alexandria by having led the creation or redevelopment of something which wouldn’t have existed without their involvement or demonstrated substantial and sustained contributions over a significant period of time.

Carol Bailey and Ryan Bailey – As the mother of a son with special needs, Carol Bailey has worked for over 25 years with various organizations supporting individuals with disabilities. She and her son Ryan have been longtime volunteers in the Del Ray community.

Donald Simpson Jr. – A third-generation Alexandrian, Donald Simpson Jr. has continued the legacy of his father and grandfather with a commitment to the youth of Alexandria through support of numerous educational and athletic programs and local nonprofits.

Lindsey Swanson and Katy Swanson – Lindsay, Katy and the Swanson family formed the Kelley Cares Foundation in the wake of the tragic loss of Kelley Swanson in 2005. The foundation has continued Kelley’s passion to help the special needs community with numerous projects, including the building of the Kelley Cares Miracle Field.

The 2020 Legends will be formally recognized and introduced to the public at the 13th annual Meet the Legends reception on March 19 at the George Washington Masonic National Memorial. The mission of Living Legends of Alexandria, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, is to identify, honor and chronicle the lives of individuals who have made significant contributions to improve the quality of life in Alexandria.

For information, to volunteer, become a sponsor or nominate a future Legend, visit www.AlexandriaLegends.org  or contact [email protected]

The full list of honorees can be found at
http://connectionarchives.com/PDF/2020/011520/Alexandria.pdf

The Miracle League of Alexandria’s Board, players and parents congratulate Carol, Ryan, Donnie, Katey and Lindsey on their selection. They will be joining Bill Rivers of the MLA, who was selected for the Living Legends in 2013.

Tech Painting Company and Affordable Signs and Banners Donates To Repainting Miracle League Logos

The Miracle League of Alexandria players and board members would like to say a special THANK YOU to the Tech Painting Company and Affordable Signs and Banner of Alexandria their recent donation of in-kind services to the Miracle League of Alexandria (MLA).

We especially would like to thank Ryan Hutton, Felipe Duran and Manuel Tejada from Tech Painting and Monica Benz and Ken Boland of Affordable Signs and Banners for their assistance to get the logos repainted in the parking lot and a new one placed on the playing surface at the Kelley Cares Miracle League Field.

The services donated will continue to go to helping those individuals with special needs, as well as help our players continue to enjoy baseball at the field and offers them a rare chance to participate in outdoor sports activities safely.

Thank you for caring so much about the special needs community in Alexandria. It is our pleasure knowing people like yourselves who are so devoted to helping out others.

Again, thank you for your support on behalf of all of us here at MLA,

Mac Slover
Chair, Miracle League of Alexandria

Alexandria’s Ryan Wallace Dazzles at the National Miracle League All-Star Games in Iowa!

Ryan Wallace, youth player in the Miracle League of Alexandria represented the City of Alexandria at 2019 National Miracle League All-Star games in Sioux City Iowa September 6 – 8. Ryan was one of 100 participants from 25 states from across the United States and Mexico.

The honored participants represented 60 chapters of the Miracle League who were nominated to play by their leagues. The Miracle League is a national program founded in 2000 in Atlanta, Georgia and has grown to over 300 teams from the United States, Canada, and Puerto Rico. The Alexandria program began in the spring of 2011 with the rubberized surface, Kelley Cares Miracle Field completed in November 2012. The Miracle League program is specifically for youth and adults with special needs to enjoy outdoor recreational opportunities and plays baseball in the spring and fall each year.

During the weekend of activities, Ryan and his mother, Jenebah Moore, his brother Franklin Wallace along with Miracle League of Alexandria coordinator, Mac Slover, (retired from the Alexandria Department of Recreation, Parks and Cultural Activities) and Chairman of the MLA attended the games. The group was greeted with a welcoming sign for each player and their families as they came off the plane by a local high school cheerleading team in Sioux City. Later that day they attended the special mixer and Taste of Sioux City kick-off event including a kickball game, putt putt golf, special sensory zip lines, splash water pads, musical pads, food, music and much more on Friday night, the games on and a celebration gala and awards program on Saturday. Each of the participants was provided a special all-star uniform for the game, gift bags, prizes, an all-star medal, and a special engraved bat along with other special awards at the gala.

The all-star game provided Ryan and the other participants the opportunity to play the baseball games in a special “field of dreams” atmosphere setting as the players were introduced coming out of the corn stalks behind the field, an announcement of their names and pictures on the video scoreboard, play by play announcing and music. All the families and spectators cheered on each player loudly when they hit the ball, ran the bases and scored.

Mac Slover stated “After going to Ohio last year, I did not think it could have been any better, but Sioux City was spectacular with its Miracle Field with the ornamental corn stalks behind it simulating the movie “Field of Dreams,” the video scoreboard and its special sensory components in the complex like the water park, putt putt course, playground, and merry-go-round accompanying it. It really provided everyone attending a sense to think you were in heaven. There is even a sign on the centerfield fence that says it all, “Is This Heaven, No Its Iowa!,” a saying from the movie. For me, the most important of the weekend was seeing how excited Ryan was being there and participating and making friends with other participants from around the country and Mexico. More importantly, it gave his mother, Jen, and brother Franklin a chance to be able to meet other families, but most of all how proud they were of Ryan playing this wonderful game of baseball and experiencing this weekend with Ryan. I am just lucky I had the chance to be a part of it too and network with so many wonderful people there. “It was about being a family and supporting each other” Slover stated.

Jen Moore stated “Thanks to Mac, the Miracle League of Alexandria and the Kelley Cares Foundation for being instrumental in us having this wonderful experience with the Miracle League All-Stars. We had an awesome time! I have learned from this experience that these children are so much more than their disabilities and with a little help and support like we get in Alexandria, the sky is the limit for them.”

Ryan’s team, the White Sox played the opening game of the day to a packed field of spectators and received rounds of cheers throughout the game and many congratulations following it.

The 2020 National Miracle League All-Star Games will be in Houston, Texas. Slover stated “we have already begun to plan for next year games. We have already picked up a sponsor that we will be announcing in the next couple of months. The sponsorship will pay for the entire family and MLA representative’s trip to the all-star games.”

The Miracle League of Alexandria begins its fall baseball season on September 14. The youth games are held on Wednesdays from 4:30 – 6 pm and the adult games are on Saturdays from 1 – 2:30 pm at the Kelley Cares Miracle League Field, located at the Lee Center, 1108 Jefferson Street, Alexandria, VA 22314.

For information or to make a donation to the league, go to www.miracleleagueallstargame.com.

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