2017 Super Volunteers - The Miracle League of Northampton County

2017 Super Volunteers

Post author:rlammi
Post published:June 11, 2017
Post category:Press

In 2016, the Board of Directors of the Miracle League of Northampton County initatied a program where they honor volunteers (normally seniors in high school) who have gone above and beyond to help their league and players. In 2017, the Board chose two members of the Easton Angels – Abbey Heimbach and Joe Salas as this years Super Volunteers. At a Miracle League game on June 10th they were honored and presented with a check for $500 and a plaque by Vice President Ric Agretto. We all thank Abbey and Joe for what they have done over the past several years.

We Have Always

Had One Common Goal

Can you picture a moment when a child in a wheelchair rises up at home plate, grabs a bat, hits a ball, and walks to first base playing baseball for their very first time? This vision is the heart of the Miracle League of Northampton County at Easton Rotary Field.

Inspiration, courage, and just having fun are the hallmarks of what occurs at every game in the spring and fall seasons for the athletes that play baseball on the Easton Rotary Field, located at the Charles Chrin Community Center in Palmer Township.

Accessibility

Angels in the Outfield

The Miracle League has many volunteers in each league that are so important to the success of the program. The Angels in the Outfield or in some cases called “Buddies” are extra special to the children playing baseball. They are the ones who team up with each player to help the children in the outfield and help them around the bases when they get that all important hit.

As part of the July 2011 Diamond Dreams Baseball and Softball Charity Marathon an exhibition Miracle League game was played. The Angels were members of the softball teams that played from Saturday night to Sunday morning. Being able to do this for the first time touched each of their hearts and one of the members, Rachel Young, wrote a paper for her school class that expressed her feelings towards being a true Angel.

This I Believe

There are over 500 million disabled people in the world, nearly 24 million in the United States, and 1.6 million in Pennsylvania. Many of the disabled are kids who grow up unable to participate in many of the things we take for granted. I believe that we need to accept people’s differences and give them the same opportunities we have. I believe in miracles.

As a young child, I grew up around my Uncle who was severely autistic. I had quickly learned that not all people are the same and we need to accept them as they are and not as what we think they should be. My Uncle could not eat, drink, walk, or even go to the bathroom by himself. He couldn’t talk, but he taught my whole family many life lessons, always made us laugh, and never failed to keep a smile on our faces. My Uncle died in December of 2009 and he is my driving force to give other kids the opportunities that they normally wouldn’t have and the opportunities he never had.

Over the summer, I participated in an “Up All Night,” softball tournament in which my team played at 10 p.m., 12 a.m., 2 a.m., 4 a.m., and in the championship game at 8 a.m. This was a fundraiser for the Miracle League of Northampton County, which is a baseball league for physically and mentally disabled kids. The Miracle League gives these children a chance to experience playing a sport, something many of us take for granted. Even though a two inning game may not seem like much to us, it means the world to them.

When my mom was a kid, she used to take my Uncle George to the park so he could play just like all the other kids. Some of the kids at the park were making fun of my Uncle, who is my mom’s brother and she instantly ran home crying. The Miracle League gives disabled kids a place they can go with other kids with similar disabilities and be active. They get treated like any other athlete with many fans cheering them on.

Seeing these kids and young adults get a chance to play a two inning baseball game is truly remarkable, and being involved is an honor. “If I were to tell you about an organized youth baseball league, you might call it ordinary. If I were to tell you the athletes are physically and mentally challenged, you might call it touching. If you were to see them play, you would call it a miracle.” (The Miracle League.) I believe that we need to accept people’s differences and give them the same opportunities we have. I believe in my Uncle George. I believe in miracles.

– Rachel Young

A Volunteer Story

Mike Flavelle is a Community Service Coordinator for the Northampton County Juvenile Probation Department. He wrote this article entitled A Special Season which will appear in a future edition of a Pennsylvania Juvenile Probation magazine. We were so impressed by this story we wanted to be sure to share it with everyone in the MLNC community. We thank Mike and his supervisor for giving us permission to share this wonderful story.

The day was Saturday, April 27, 2013. I stepped out of my car not fully knowing what lied ahead. I was a little nervous, but I must admit I was also very excited. As I remember it, it was a clear crisp April day. I proceeded to enter a place I have never been before. You see, on this day, we (Northampton County Juvenile Probation Community Service Department) agreed to be a sponsor for a Miracle League team. For those of you that have never heard of the Miracle League, the Miracle League is a non-profit organization that provides an opportunity for children and adults with disabilities to play baseball at a special facility that meets the unique needs of the players and their families. By sponsoring a Miracle League team, it meant that we agreed to provide a volunteer, “buddy,” to assist each special needs individual throughout the game and season; help them in the batter’s box; be with them as they go around the bases; as well as be with the player out in the field when they are not batting. The Spring season consisted of ten games (on Saturdays). Our team consisted of fifteen players. The team name was the “METS.” I grew up watching and loving the METS professional baseball team. This had to be a positive omen!

I was nervous for a couple of reasons. I was responsible to have fifteen juveniles appear and behave appropriately. I cringe on days when I have just five individuals to supervise on work crews. Today I was having three times this amount. I must admit, I did try to stack the deck a little bit with individuals I knew who had some decent communication skills, and who were involved with outside activities. Without turning this article into a Steven King length novel, the day ended perfectly. My fifteen volunteers appeared, and each one of them did a super job being a “buddy” to their assigned special needs individual.

To me, the whole season was a highlight. I have embedded in my brain the faces of the players, their parents, and our volunteers. The season was a great success! There were only one-two occasions when I was short a player over this time period. Considering this time period involved high school proms, graduations and family vacations, I can live with this percentage. There was never a behavioral issue at any time. The juveniles really seemed to enjoy their time being a “buddy.” So did I!

If I must pick out a few highlights, I would pick: 1) seeing the faces of the special needs players light up as their “buddy” returned the following week. Thus, in turn, the player’s reaction put a smile on the volunteer’s face, 2) having a volunteer being excited (and proud) because he taught his “buddy” to throw a ball, 3) having another volunteer being emotionally touched due to a parent walking over to him and thanking him for working with their son, 4) I remember this special needs individual hitting a home run during a particular game, he flipped his bat while in the batter box like Barry Bonds and he trotted around the bases with his index finger pointing high in the air toward his home run area. Then, upon reaching home plate, he jumped in the air to land on the base and then he proceeded to flap his jersey up and down, while having the biggest smile on his face (I was also remembering at this time, that this individual would probably never have had this opportunity if it wasn’t for the Miracle League), 5) last but not least, having numerous adults walking over to me and stating how terrific our group of kids have been throughout the season.