The Miracle League of New Albany would like to extend a special THANK YOU to our partner, EMH&T. The generous support from EHM&T helps ensure that every child gets a chance to play baseball. 

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By SARAH SOLE 

THISWEEKNEWS.COM 

Dec 3, 2018 

Funding for the Miracle League of New Albany facility has reached about the halfway mark, according to Dr. Kevin Klingele, chief of orthopedics at Nationwide Children’s Hospital, who is leading the project.

Miracle Leagues are nonprofit organizations that hold baseball games on special fields to accommodate children with special needs. Children are teamed up with teens and young people who serve as “buddies” during the games.

The goal of a Miracle League, Klingele said, is to provide opportunities for children with physical or mental disabilities to do something they otherwise typically wouldn’t be able to do — in this case, play baseball.

Thus far, about $450,000 has been raised, primarily from individual donors, Klingele said. The first phase of the project will require $750,000 to $1 million, he said. The project will include a field and accompanying facilities, he said.

Klingele has been aided in his project-planning efforts by two New Albany High School seniors, Nickolas Shroyer, 18, and Ethan Swincicki, 17, who have helped with fundraising efforts for their senior-seminar project. Senior seminar is a New Albany High School graduation requirement in which students research an idea and create a product or complete a project; they must document 80 hours of work.

Klingele said both students have helped bring awareness to the project through social media and fundraising efforts.

“They’ve been great all around,” he said.

Although both students are on the high school’s baseball team, their reasons for getting involved with fundraising for the league go beyond a healthy interest in sports.

Shroyer’s brother Alex, now a 15-year-old New Albany sophomore, was diagnosed as on the autism spectrum at birth. Although Alex played baseball on a Little League team, he has aged out of the program and wants to join a league that’s synonymous with his skill level, Shroyer said.

Swincicki, meanwhile, became an advocate for those with mental disabilities when he was a New Albany Middle School student.

He said he first made friends with students with mental disabilities when he was rehearsing for a play in sixth grade because students in an after-school program often attended rehearsals. After becoming friends with them, he was motivated to join his school’s club, Spread the Word to End the Word, part of a larger, national campaign to advocate against using a derogatory term to describe those with mental disabilities.

Because the high school didn’t have that club, Swincicki said, involvement in fundraising for the Miracle League would serve a similar purpose. He also knew he wanted to do something involving baseball for his senior project, he said.

Swincicki said he and Shroyer prepared an informational packet with multiple sponsorship levels to seek donations from local businesses. They also asked if companies would be interested in providing food or beverages for players after games.

Now, the two are interested in organizing fundraisers, such as a basketball or dodgeball tournament, to involve other students.

Klingele said Swincicki and Shroyer were instrumental in spreading the word about a grant opportunity via social media that led to the project earning a $20,000 grant from Aetna, which has a facility in New Albany.

“It’s clear they have a passion about it,” Klingele said.

Project details

Although funding still is being secured, the Miracle League site has been set for a while.

New Albany City Council on Nov. 8, 2017, approved a resolution authorizing City Manager Joe Stefanov to enter into a lease with the New Albany-Plain Local Joint Park District for 5 acres on the north side of Swickard Woods Boulevard.

The lease cost the parks district a one-time $10 fee, according to city spokesman Scott McAfee.

Under the terms of the lease agreement, the city would be able to approve the development’s design. If the field were not developed, the land would revert to city property. The 10-year lease also could be extended with city approval.

New Albany is leasing the land to the park district, which in turn is subleasing the land to the Miracle League with the approval of the city, said park district director Dave Wharton. When constructed, the facility would be owned by the league and managed by both the league and the park district, Wharton said.

Klingele said he wants to begin building portions of the first phase of the project in the spring. The goal is to open the field by fall, he said.

The second phase of the project would be another $250,000 to $500,000 and would include a playground and fitness area next to the field, Klingele said.

When completed, the facility would include a baseball field, a handicap-accessible playground, a parking lot and possibly a building that could complement other public uses on Swickard Woods Boulevard, he said.

Klingele said he hopes eventually to build a fitness facility for individuals with special needs, to bring regional and national adaptive sports medicine and events to the city.

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Thank you to everyone who voted for The Miracle League of New Albany in the Aetna Voices of Health Competition! You really turned out in force, 16,000+ votes strong, to help us win the competition and get closer to our goal of giving every child the chance to play baseball. Thank you for your support!

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On September 15, 2018, The Miracle League of New Albany’s own Brynn Fraser represented our league at the first ever Miracle League All-Star game at the Blanchard Valley Health System Miracle Park in Findlay, Ohio.

Each Miracle League organization from around the world was able to select one player to attend the event that included a special welcome reception, opening ceremony, introduction of players, All-Star games, and an awards gala.

Way to go Brynn!

See additional photos of Brynn’s All-Star experience in the photo Gallery.

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Friends of the Miracle League of New Albany— Make Your Voice Heard!!

We’ve been given a great chance to create real change for our Columbus area. The Aetna Voices of Health competition gives organizations like us a way to improve our community by addressing social health issues. You can help us win a $20,000 award by voting for us. When you vote for our organization, you’re voting to make a difference. It only takes a minute…. Voting is easy and you can vote more than once. That’s right, more than once. Please vote every day to help us win.  Click the “Vote Today” button below to view our video submission.  Competition launches October 1st and concludes November 9th, 2018.  Please forward the link below, because every vote counts! #voicesofhealth       #namiracleleague Direct link to vote: http://www.aetnavoicesofhealth.com/2018/columbus/agencies/the-miracle-league-of-new-albany/

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The New Albany Baseball Classic will be held at Bevelhymer Park in New Albany June 15-18, 2018. All proceeds from the tournament will benefit The Miracle League of New Albany.

Additionally, The Miracle League will be holding an exhibition game on the Y1 field at 4:00 PM on Sunday June 18th before the 9U Championship game. All players will be given The Miracle League of New Albany pins to be worn throughout the tournament weekend, and all Miracle League players and buddies will receive t-shirts.

The Miracle League of New Albany will have a booth on site during the tournament with field renderings, a donation jar, and volunteer sign-ups. Please stop by and support The Miracle League of New Albany!

Visit the USSSA website for more information.

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Please come out and support your local athletes!

Thursday, June 21
Bellacino’s Pizza & Grinders
4926 Morse Road
11:00 am – 9:00 pm

Dine in, carry out, or purchase a gift card and 20% of all proceeds will be donated to The Miracle League of New Albany and New Albany Special Olympics.

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On May 29, 2018, the 4th grade students at New Albany-Plain Local Intermediate School donated a portion of the proceeds from their Entrepreneur Day to The Miracle League of New Albany in the amount of $3,548.07. A special THANK YOU to the entire 4th Grade for their donation!

View the Video »

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By Sarah Sole
thisweeknews.com

The construction of a Miracle League baseball field can proceed in New Albany after the authorization of a lease agreement with the city and the New Albany-Plain Local Joint Parks District.

New Albany City Council on Nov. 8 approved a resolution authorizing City Manager Joe Stefanov to enter into a lease with the parks district for 5 acres on the north side of Swickard Woods Boulevard.

The lease will cost the parks district a one-time $10 fee, according to city spokesman Scott McAfee.

The parks district then will sublease the land to the New Albany Miracle League. The area will include a baseball field, a handicap-accessible playground, a parking lot and possibly a building that could complement other public uses on Swickard Woods Boulevard, according to an Oct. 31 legislative report to council members.

Under the terms of the lease agreement, the city will be able to approve the development’s design. If the field were not developed, the land would revert to city property.

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By Bryant Somerville
10TV.com

NEW ALBANY — Dozens of children took to the baseball diamond, Saturday, to celebrate Miracle League.

It’s a national organization that was established to provide children with disabilities the opportunity to play baseball in an environment that meets their needs.

Children participating met at the New Albany High School baseball field, Saturday. The teams were divided into two before playing two full innings.

In 2005, the Miracle League of Central Ohio, located in Dublin, had its first season. It has continued to grow every year since.

In July, the Miracle League of New Albany, Inc. was founded with the following mission:

1. To provide opportunities for children with disabilities to play Miracle League baseball, regardless of their abilities.
2. To promote community support, volunteerism and sponsorship of the Miracle League of New Albany.
3. To promote the construction of special facilities within New Albany that meet the unique needs of Miracle League players and their families.

Right now, Miracle League of New Albany is designing its field, which will be located within Wexner Community Park at Swickard Woods in New Albany in the future.

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