The Joe Nuxhall Miracle League Fields
Every American child dreams of playing baseball!
But for too many young people, physical or developmental disabilities make it impossible to negotiate the challenges of the conventional game. The Miracle League, created by committed families in the 1990's, makes dreams of baseball into reality, not only through structured leagues with disability-friendly rules and accommodations, but also through special, rubberized fields that ensure full accessibility. Over the past decade, the nationally-acclaimed League has grown to serve more than 200,000 children and young adults at 240 sites throughout the country.
The Butler County Board of Developmental Disabilities currently serves more than 2000 individuals, and sees a growing number of infants, children and adults who have mental retardation and developmental disabilities. Therapeutic Recreation for the Disabled, a nonprofit organization formed in 1985, provides recreational opportunities and leisure-time pursuits for many of these individuals, as well as children and adults with diverse physical disabilities. Now in its 19th season, their softball league has grown from forty participants to over seventy and could serve many more with a facility that eliminates the accessibility challenges that characterize traditional baseball fields.
While the central purpose of the Miracle League Fields is to bring Miracle League play to our area and enable children and young people with disabilities to experience the joy and passion of baseball, the fields will benefit other community groups, as well.
We envision:
• expansion of Therapeutic Recreation's softball program
• expanded programming of the Butler County Reds Rookie Success League, teaching children character and compassion for those with disabilities
• programs for our citizens—including disabled veterans—who are “young at heart” and crave an active lifestyle, despite physical limitations.
About the Fields
The Joe Nuxhall Miracle League Fields, a two-field complex suitable for tournament play, will be located on land provided by the City of Fairfield on Groh Lane, directly opposite the Fairfield Pee Wee Football Fields. The popular Waterworks Park, where the Fairfield Youth Baseball Association conducts its baseball programs, is also nearby. The site will accommodate future expansion, including both a fully handicapped-accessible playground for younger children and additional Miracle League fields.
Plans for the complex call for:
two rubberized softball fields. These fields are made of a durable, spongy, painted rubber surface that will allow wheelchair-bound individuals or individuals with trouble walking to play safely.
• state-of-the-art handicapped-accessible restrooms
• level parking lot with an abundance of handicapped-accessible parking and level sidewalks and ramps connecting each of the ball fields
• ground-level, covered dugouts
• electronic scoreboards
• a pavilion that houses a concession stand, equipment storage and a press box
• stadium-style seating for spectators
• lighting for the fields
• fencing
• attractive landscaping seating areas
The fields will commemorate the lives of two Butler County citizens noted for their community engagement and self-sacrifice. Joe Nuxhall, of course, achieved national recognition for his contributions to the Cincinnati Reds as both player and broadcaster. But it was his commitment to the community that made “Hamilton Joe” a hero to his friends and neighbors in Butler County. The fields will also honor Lance Corporal Taylor Prazynski of the United States Marines, a Fairfield native who was committed to working with the mentally and physically disabled. Sadly, Taylor was killed on May 9, 2005.
Making the Miracle a Reality
A project of this magnitude requires an outpouring of community support. The Hatton Foundation has graciously assumed a leadership role, challenging to donors to greater generosity through a matching grant of $500,000. In addition, local businesses have guaranteed $675,000, more than 1/3 of the projected construction costs, in donated labor and materials. In order to take advantage of that generous support, however, the project must break ground this summer.
The total cost for constructing the fields and providing an operating fund to support future maintenance and updates is $2,500,000, and in addition to the gifts of labor and materials, significant funding has already been secured.
The $500,000 matching grant from the Hatton Foundation, though included in the totals above, will only be received when $500,000 in new contributions have been secured.
The Joe Nuxhall Miracle League Fields represent Butler County's deep commitment to the quality of life of every member of our community. Generous support of this project by so many local heroes, organizations, corporations and individuals attests to its importance. The time has come to reach out to the community for the financial support that will ensure that the project breaks ground on schedule. Help us—help Joe!—give every child in Butler County a chance to play baseball.
