Hamilton Herald Masthead

Editorial


Front Page - Friday, June 3, 2016

Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices Realty Center steps up to the plate for Miracle League




Top photo L-R: Vanessa Mercer, Realty Center Co-owners Karen and Ben Kelley, and Realty Center General Manager Byron Kelly at Warner Park during the groundbreaking for Chattanooga’s Miracle Field May 25. Bottom photo From L-R: Sherri Pratt, Susan Castle, Martha Miller, Christy Huff, Sherry Vandergriff, and Al Massey. - (Photos provided)

The Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices Realty Center scoreboard will be a reality this fall when Chattanooga’s Miracle Field opens at Warner Park.

Miracle League Baseball began in 1998 in Conyers, Ga., when the Rockdale Youth Baseball League invited children of all abilities to join them in the game of baseball. That first year, 140 kids came out to play.

Today, there are more than 200,000 children and adults participating in over 240 Miracle League organizations in the United States, Puerto Rico, and Canada, with Chattanooga being the latest to join the ever-growing team.

Chattanooga’s Miracle Field will feature cushioned, rubberized field surfaces, making it easier for special needs players to get from base to base. In true Chattanooga fashion, the community has stepped up to the plate to support the effort. The Downtown Chattanooga Rotary Club and BlueCross BlueShield of Tennessee donated $250,000 each to the field, and Berkshire Hathaway Realty Center has committed to raising an additional $250,000. 

aByron Kelley, general manager of Realty Center, said the company was quick to step in and support the Miracle League of Chattanooga. “Chattanooga’s Miracle Field will allow kids who never thought they’d be able to play sports to have the same thrills and chills as everyone else,” Kelley said. “To help provide that for them and their families was a no-brainer.”

The public can donate to Berkshire Hathaway’s fundraising effort at www.firstgiving.com/407273/BHHS. For more information about the Miracle League of Chattanooga, visit www.MiracleLeagueChatt.com.