The News Herald (Willoughby, OH)
Students promote Miracle League
Miracle League of Lake County received some help from some of Eastlake’s younger residents.
Eastlake Mayor Dennis Morley turned to the second-grade students at Longfellow Elementary School for help with promoting the Miracle League Baseball Field and Inclusive Playground which will be located adjacent to Classic Park and will serve to remove barriers for those with special needs and disabilities.
The students, as part of a project-based learning experience, worked for several weeks learning all about the Miracle League including what the Miracle League is about, who will play on the league, when the ballfield is scheduled to open, the cost of constructing it, and the community donations that help with the costs.
Students then came up with a variety of ways to promote the Miracle League, such as skits, posters, flyers and speechless videos, which they presented May 22 to Morley and Judy Moran, president of the board for Miracle League of Lake County.
The students told how this is a dream for every child and that every child would be included and it would help self-esteem and help with making new friends. They also explained the special rubberized turf that would allow for wheelchair accessibility and how businesses in the community were helping raise the $1.2 million needed to build the field and playground.
Three students — Adrianna Vujica, Madeline Daugherty and Ryleigh Hensel — performed a skit in which they were three friends wanting to go play on the playground but one was in a wheelchair and couldn’t because her chair gets stuck in the grass. Two of the students excitedly explained that soon she would be able to as the new playground was coming. The skit concluded with the three girls in unison saying Miracle Motto that every child deserve a chance to play ball.
“It’s so exciting to see our students involved with their community,” said Longfellow Principal Allison Aber. “The mayor asked our students for help in spreading the word about miracle league, basically giving them a problem to solve,” Aber said. “Under the guidance and facilitation of their dedicated teachers they produced skits, videos, flyers, and posters all for a campaign for Miracle League. I am impressed. This is an experience this will never forget.”
According to Morley, the project came about when he and Aber spoke about how the school could do to help get the word out.
“If you listen today as the kids were doing their presentations it is all about getting the word out about Miracle league and I think they did more than 100 percent and they hit the project spot on,” Morley said
Morley also said he was planning on talking to the owner of Lake County’s Chick-fil-A restaurants who have been involved with helping to raise funds for the Miracle League project and see if they would be willing to display some of the kids Miracle League posters in the restaurants.
Chick-fil-A is also helping to raise funds currently with a cookie competition in May between the three Lake County restaurants to see which one can sell the most cookies.
The proceeds from all cookie sales go directly to the Miracle League of Lake County. They are currently halfway to their goal of 15,000 with a total of 8,589 cookies sold to date.
With about $700,000 already raised toward the $1.2 million needed,
Moran and Morley are still hopeful for June groundbreaking with an opening day to follow in mid-August