If he builds Miracle League Field, he knows disabled kids will play

Burke Adams loves the smile that breaks out on his daughter Jaime's face when he pushes her wheelchair around an athletic field.

So, when she was turned down by the Special Olympics because she can't participate in sports independently, Mr. Adams was determined to help her be part of a team anyway.

The result will be a Miracle League field, for which ground will soon be broken in the East Greenbush Town Park. The field will be named for Jaime, who is now 22. She has Rett's syndrome, a neurodevelopmental disorder that leaves girls (whom the genetic disorder almost exclusively affects) unable to walk, talk or use their hands.

Making space

Miracle League fields accommodate children with disabilities, with synthetic, latex-free turf over which wheelchairs can easily roll and a host of other adaptations.

There are 41 other Miracle League fields in the U.S., with many more under construction. The East Greenbush field will be unique, according to Mr. Adams: It will be the first designed for use with four sports -- baseball, flag football, soccer and track-and-field. Other fields are used only for baseball.

The Miracle League began in 2000 in Conyers, Georgia, after a parent saw a child with disabilities cheering for his brother from the sidelines during a baseball game. The league pairs players with able-bodied people who assist them to participate in sports on the special fields.

Goals

Mr. Adams, a parishioner of St. Mary's Church in Clinton Heights and coach of three teams for area children with disabilities, has been working hard on a series of fundraisers to collect the $225,000 to build the East Greenbush field; $100,000 is still needed.

He is aiming for a spring 2008 kickoff -- or, rather, pitch-off, since baseball will be the first sport for which the field is used. The diamond will be painted on the field, Mr. Adams noted, and the dugout will include space for players who use wheelchairs to sit alongside those who don't. Players with visual impairments will be able to follow a bright white line from base to base.

The football and soccer areas will be half-sized, and the track-and-field area will be marked with cones. Mr. Adams cited other accommodations, including accessible bathrooms. He also pointed out that the program is free for children (ages five and up).

Getting news out

"A lot of people don't know about [the field] yet," Mr. Adams told The Evangelist. By getting the word out about it, he hopes to enroll at least 200 children.

Miracle League rules mandate that fields must be at least 25 miles from one another, so he believes children from several counties in the Albany Diocese will come to East Greenbush to play.

There's no upper limit to the number of players who can participate, he said: "The more kids [whose faces] we can put a smile on, the better!"

Pitching in

Mr. Adams has been a volunteer with many organizations since he was 11, but this particular effort is special to him.

"When I found out my daughter was going to be disabled, I wasn't going to let it stop me," he declared.

Although Jaime is now an adult, Mr. Burke is still anticipating the completion of the field.

"I'm excited and happy for the kids," he said. "They'll have their own 'field of dreams.' I know I'm going to cry on opening day."

(Tax-deductible donations can be sent to The East Greenbush Miracle League, Inc., Attn. Burke Adams, 10 McDonald Lane, Rensselaer 12144. For information on playing or volunteering with the league, call Mr. Adams at 479-3465 or 396-8822. A fundraiser is planned at Wholly Cow Ice Cream and BBQ in Schodack, August 11, noon-9 p.m. A website will soon be up and running for the East Greenbush Miracle League: www.basnsp.com. The national Miracle League website is www.miracleleague.com.)

(7/26/07)