Town of Vernon to be Home of Miracle League Field
(VERNON, Connecticut) – The Town of Vernon, the Vernon Public Schools and the Miracle League of Northern Connecticut have entered into a unique partnership to provide a state of the art accessible baseball field, which will serve children and families from throughout the region.
The Miracle League Field will be at Vernon’s Northeast School, just off Route 30 just east of Route 31. The Vernon Town Council unanimously supported and authorized the Town to enter into an agreement with the Miracle League of Northern Connecticut at their June 21st meeting.
“When Miracle League leaders approached us about being home to a fully accessible athletic field to provide athletic opportunities for children with disabilities, we were immediately interested,” Vernon Mayor Dan Champagne. “With our trail network, athletic fields, parks, ponds and lakes, Vernon is a recreational destination for so many. Adding a field designed specifically so that people with disabilities can join with others to enjoy the outdoors is something we fully embrace. This field is going to be a regional asset and a wonderful place for so many people.”
The Miracle League Field in Vernon will have a synthetic short turf surface and be fully accessible to people who use wheelchairs or have other mobility issues, said Steven R. Leibowitz, a local accountant and business owner who is President of the Miracle Field of Northern Connecticut and has coached Little League Challenger, a program for children with physical and intellectual challenges.
“We’re excited to bring this field to Vernon and were extremely pleased that Mayor Champagne and his team so readily embraced it,” Leibowitz said. “This field is all about letting kids be kids and have a great time playing baseball.”
In addition to the specially designed turf surface, Miracle League fields have wheelchair-accessible dugouts, and are completely flat and barrier free so that children with visual disabilities can participate. Each player has a buddy who assists them during play. There are about 300 Miracle Fields across the U.S. and two others in Connecticut, in West Hartford and East Lyme.
“Vernon Public Schools are committed to helping all students be successful in life and one of the ways we do that is by building partnerships with our community,” Superintendent Dr. Joseph P. Macary said. “Creating this opportunity for children to experience the joy of sports fits right into our mission and we are delighted to be able to join with the Miracle Field team to bring this project to Vernon.”
Northeast School has extensive field space and because of its strategic location close to I-84 was selected for the Miracle Field. The Vernon Board of Education approved the contract with Miracle League of Northern Connecticut at its meeting Monday evening.
“Children and families from all over Connecticut are going to visit Vernon to play at the Miracle Field,” Town Administrator Michael Purcaro. “Those families will get to know what many of us already know – that Vernon is a welcoming community and a great place to live, work and play.”