Miracle League of Southwestern PA Employee Directory
Non-profit OrganizationsPennsylvania, United States2-10 Employees
Southwestern PA was in need of a specially designed baseball field that would enable children with special needs to play the game of baseball. While coaching my 7-year-old son Tanner’s baseball team, a parent asked the Cranberry Township Athletic Association if they could make an exception for her son so that he could hit off of a tee, since he had a disability. I became inspired by the question and felt that no parent should ever have to ask that question. The other coaches and I in the league were willing to make the exception for the little boy. I wondered why there wasn't a place where exceptions didn’t need to be granted. I thought about the Miracle League I experienced in Birmingham, AL. Inspired, I was determined to make sure that children using wheel chairs, crutches and walkers could round the bases of a baseball field just like any other child. I needed to convince local and state political leaders that this was a worthwhile endeavor and to raise the necessary funds to build this unique field. I spent nights and weekends spearheading an effort designed to provide a place where children with special needs could play organized baseball – the Miracle League of Southwestern Pennsylvania (MLSWPA). I approached Cranberry officials, and they agreed to dedicate space in the new Dick’s Sporting Goods Sportsplex at Graham Park for development of a Miracle League field. As President and founder of the Southwestern PA Chapter, I oversee all aspects of the organization including: • Finance and Fundraising • Community and Public Relations • Donor Relations • Media interviews/Miracle League spokes person – successful in developing a partnership with the Pirates Charities, the fundraising arm of the Pittsburgh Pirates • Work closely with government officials acquiring support on local and state levels • Construction • Volunteer solicitation and management • Grant writing