SEARCY — Gage Hall and Peyton Wright, two Searcy High School students, have their sights set on bringing a Miracle League to Searcy.
The Miracle League is a baseball league for children and adults with disabilities.
Peggy McCall, executive director of the Miracle League of Arkansas, said she started the Arkansas league so parents of kids with disabilities could have the experiences and memories that other parents do.
“If we can start changing perceived concepts about what people who are different can do, it’s going to be a better world,” McCall said.
McCall said players in the Miracle League are ages 4 and older.
“We have players with Asperger’s syndrome, Down syndrome, cerebral palsy, kids who are blind, kids who are deaf, kids in wheelchairs, etc.,” McCall said.
“If you have a diagnosis, you’re our player,” McCall said. “You don’t have to be born with a disability to play.”
McCall said Miracle League ball fields are barrier-free fields.
“There are no tripping hazards,” she said. “Our surface is a rubber surface made of recycled tires glued together into brick form, and the infield is painted on.”
“The bases and home plate are painted on because those would all be tripping hazards,” McCall said.
“Our Single A teammates each have a ‘buddy’ who is there to assist and protect. This gives parents a chance to sit in the stand and just watch,” McCall said.
McCall said kids and adults both play in the Miracle League.
“Our oldest player is 72,” she said. “The people who grew up decades ago didn’t have anything like this available to them.”
McCall said Miracle League is unique because when people come out to “buddy,” they quickly learn that the players aren’t much different from them.
“It’s neat to watch my players teach a typical kid something really cool about life,” McCall said.
McCall said she thinks Hall and Wright’s idea to start a Miracle League in Searcy is great.
“I’m really confident that they’ll be able to do this,” she said. “I’m sure it will be done.”
Hall is 15 years old, and Wright is 16. They are both sophomores at Searcy High School.
“When I was in eighth grade at a baseball tournament, I saw the league. I researched it and really liked the idea,” Hall said.
“In ninth grade, when I had the resources to start the project, I did,” he said.
Hall said that at the moment, he and Wright are trying hard to get the word out about their ideas.
“Last year I created a model for the field and got all of the basics done,” Hall said.
Hall said he and Wright have made presentations to Searcy Parks and Recreation, the Searcy Regional Chamber of Commerce and the City Council, and plan to meet with civic groups. Their goal is to spread the word so there are as many kids in the league as possible.
“Our long-term goal is to have it open before we graduate,” Hall said. “We want to raise money, get sponsors and get things legalized so we can start the building process. The hardest part is coming up in the next six months.”
Wright said they are also working to raise money for the ball field. They estimate the project will cost about $1.5 million, including grass, concrete, fencing and other expenses.
“Miracle League would benefit Searcy a lot,” Wright said. “We’ve talked a lot about unity and bringing people in from cities like Bald Knob, Beebe, Cabot and Jacksonville. We want to bring the community together and do a good thing for these kids with disabilities who don’t have these opportunities.
“We have a GoFundMe account that has brought in a few hundred dollars, and we’ve talked about setting up tents and booths at the Special Olympics at Harding University later this month.”
Hall said the field itself will have a wall, and people will have an opportunity to purchase and dedicate bricks.
“We’re two high school boys coming together to do something like this. Most of the time we see adults making these leagues, so we’d feel accomplished if we met our goals,” Wright said.
“Miracle League would help our community and gives these kids a chance to fit in and play the sport of baseball,” Hall said.
Kay Carpenter, EAST facilitator at Searcy High School, said the idea started out as an EAST project.
“I’m helping with promotional materials and the official Miracle League application. I set up the GoFundMe page,” Carpenter said.
“Gage designed the field last year, and I’ve worked with [him and Wright] to go before the City Council and present the idea,” she said.
“They’ve really done most of the legwork themselves, though,” Carpenter said. “They’re really trying to get out there and start the fundraising process.
“At one point, the project will get so large it’ll move beyond EAST. They’ll have to put together an actual board, and it’ll move away from being something EAST oversees.”
Carpenter said she thinks the idea is a great one.
“I think it’s a great idea for the community, and there’s a lot of support. It seems like every time they talk to someone, someone else wants to get in touch,” she said.
“Their goals are realistic,” Carpenter said. “There are people in the community who think the process will take longer, and fundraising may be a bigger challenge.
“The question is, ‘Is the community going to support it financially as much as they support the concept?’”
For more information, contact Hall at benjamin.hall@searcyschools.org or Wright at peyton.wright@searcyschools.org.
Staff writer Kayla Baugh can be reached at (501) 244-4307 or kbaugh@arkansasonline.com.