I became involved in Miracle League because I have loved baseball all my life, and I want all kids to have the chance to play. The kids with whom I am privileged to work have so much fun and really love playing the game. In addition to getting to know the kids, I enjoy seeing their parents have a good time. I keep coming back because the Miracle League gives kids the chance to play the greatest game in the world.

Bill Mann
Chief Deputy City Attorney
Little Rock, Arkansas

For me I love playing ball and if I can teach a kid to do something they have been told they can't do and the smiles on their face when they realize I CAN DO THIS!!!! Where they have been pushed to the side I try to put them in the spotlight. Let them be a kid playing baseball and having a great time. It is all about the smiles! The players and everybody hamming it up just makes it that much better. They forget they have a disability and for a little while they are a "normal" kid playing America's Pasttime on their own ball field. They can point at the ML field and tell everyone "That's MY Ballpark."

Tony Jenkins

It's a blast! I look forward to it all week! It's great to see the smiles on kids faces when they hit the ball and make it to home plate. It puts a smile on my face and reminds me that all kids can have fun regardless of the obstacles they face.
Of course I come back because I get something out of it too. I take a little ownership to make sure that the kids I buddy with have fun and that the parents get to see some excitement on their faces.

Lydia Palasota

I got involved in Miracle League when a friend who was on the Board at that time suggested that I coach a team. I was pretty burned out on coaching “real baseball” and so I said “sure.” I had no earthly idea what I was getting into. I immediately became hooked after my first day.

One thing I find rewarding is that I don’t take things as much for granted as I once did and I tend to recognize barriers more nowadays as well. I was talking to one of the Moms the other night. She called me “Coach” which I tend to discourage because I think that honorific is way overused and because it’s not like I am coaching anybody. Anyway, I told her that “Paul” would do just fine. This is what she said in response: “You don’t understand. My son now has somebody in his life he can call ‘Coach’ just like his brothers do. It makes him feel like he’s a regular kid.”

We have a lot of those types of epiphanies every Saturday at Miracle League. Every Saturday presents a new “Gee, I never thought of it that way” moment. How many fields of human endeavor can you say that about? Not very many.

Paul Bowen

I love being a buddy. For an hour I get to be a combination batting coach, motivator and cheerleader for a Miracle Leaguer. Then the next game starts and I do it again. The requirements for each child can vary widely – some need help holding the bat and some have a great swing. Some can run to the bases, and some need to be pushed in their wheelchairs. Some are funny, some are sweet, some are show-offs, some are shy… just like the “regular” kids you know.

It’s impossible to leave the field without counting your blessings, and after only a couple of games, being around these kids and having them think of you as a buddy will be one of the things you’re most grateful for. Being a buddy requires very little, but the payback is enormous. Even if you were the always the last kid picked on the playground you get to feel like a baseball hero every Saturday at the Miracle League. Or better yet, you can make a special child feel like one.

Susan Elder
Jim Elder Good Sports Fund

I enjoy getting on the field and being a kid again. When I'm out there with the Miracle League kids I remember why I played sports in the first place. Pure joy. To be able to make one of the kids laugh, have a parent thank me, or get a reaction that family and friends have not seen from their child is the most gratifying feeling I can get. That is why I enjoy Miracle League.

Jim Taillon