Registration for Miracle League baseball begins August 15. New players $35, returning players $20. Season will begin middle of September with schedules to be posted by the first week in September. Registration can be done in person at the field office in Ponder Park. You may also pay your fees online here.
Contact the league office for questions at 915 779-4770.
(El Paso, Texas- July 23, 2012) El Paso’s Miracle League, Inc. is proud to announce that it has received a $5,000 Quality of Life Grant from the Christopher & Dana Reeve Foundation. The award was one to 69 grants totaling almost $425,000 awarded by the Reeve Foundation to nonprofit organizations nationwide that aid in providing more opportunities, access, and daily quality of life for individuals living with paralysis, their families, and caregivers. Created by the late Dana Reeve, the program has awarded 2,055 grants totaling over $15.6 million since 1999.
El Paso’s Miracle League Inc. will use the grant to provide needed equipment for both baseball and soccer for the upcoming season.
Miracle League is honored to be one of the 69 grants awarded and thanks the Reeve Foundation for their acceptance of our program.
According to Sandie Olivar, CEO and Executive Director of El Paso’s Miracle League, Inc. the grant award is perfectly timed for the upcoming soccer and baseball fall season. As a community with limited resources, outside grants such as this offset local fundraising; taking the pressure off of the participants and their families. This is important to the local community when the same businesses are asked time after time for support.
“The Reeve Foundation believes that each of the nearly six million Americans living with paralysis deserves access to the best programs and services available. The Quality of Life Grants Program supports other nonprofit organizations that not only believe in that same independence, but achieve great success in carrying out their programs’ missions” said Peter T. Wilderotter, president and CEO of the Christopher & Dana Reeve Foundation. “We are honored to recognize these organizations which empower those affected by paralysis.”
The Christopher & Dana Reeve Foundation Quality of Life grants program was conceived by the late Dana Reeve to address the myriad needs of children and adults with paralysis and other mobility impairments and their families. Grants support critical life-enhancing and life-changing initiatives that improve physical and emotional health and increase independence. Funded projects offer a diversity of services and approaches: improving access; providing education and job training; sponsoring organized sports activities; and much more. Quality of Life grants are funded through a cooperative agreement with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (Award #1U59DD000838).
The Christopher & Dana Reeve Foundation is dedicated to curing spinal cord injury by funding innovative research, and improving the quality of life for people living with paralysis through grants, information, and advocacy. For more information, and to review the entire list of Quality of Life grant recipients, please visit our website at www.ChristopherReeve.org or call 800 225-0292.
El Paso’s Miracle League Inc. provides recreational opportunities for persons with disabilities regardless of their abilities.
Sandie Olivar, Executive Director
Ponder Baseball was established in May of 2012 to help fundraising efforts for the Miracle League of El Paso’s sports programs. The Miracle League of El Paso obtained the use of the other two baseball fields located in Ponder Park. During the summer of 2012 we will be hosting tee ball (ages 4-5) on the Junior League’s Field of Miracles, coach pitch (ages 6-8) on the field located on the corner of Catalpa and W H Burges and regular baseball (ages 9-10) to be played on the Little League field inside Ponder Park.
Tee ball games are scheduled for the month of July on Thursday and Friday evenings 6 and 7:15 pm with additional play on Saturday at 8 am. Beginning August 13, additional evening games are scheduled and can be located on the website for Ponder Baseball.
Coach pitch games are scheduled at 6:30 pm Monday through Friday evening and Saturdays beginning at 4:15 pm. The 9-10 yr old Baseball games are scheduled at 6:00 pm Monday through Thursday evenings, Fridays games are planned at 5 pm and 6:55 pm with Saturday games beginning at 8 am.
We have registered a total of 32 teams (10 tee ball, 8 coach pitch, 14 9-10 yr old baseball). The summer season will begin Monday, July 9 and runs through Saturday, September 8. Playoffs will follow and the new fall season will begin September 17, 2012. Registration for the fall season begins August 1, 2012 with a deadline of August 31, 2012. Team registration fees are $500 per team. Information can be obtained through the office (915) 779-4770.
The success of the first season of Ponder Baseball indicates the need for additional baseball fields in our community. The awareness of Ponder Baseball teams and their families and coaches is hoped to contribute additional volunteers for the “Angels In the Outfield” (buddies) program for the Miracle League of El Paso sports programs. The concession stand in the Miracle League field complex is expected to be a busy place beginning Monday with expectations to contribute to offset program expenses as well.
We have been informed of a Special Olympics basketball tournament that is scheduled to be held from Thursday March 22-Saturday March 24. Since there are a quite a few of our advanced baseball players playing on the three teams and others in this tournament, we did not want to conflict with this important event. We will reschedule these games to be played as follows–Rockies vs Rangers on Monday, May 7 at 6:30 pm and the Red Sox vs the Mission Riders on Thursday May 10 at 6:30 pm. Please notify all your players and their families of this change. We will change our game calendar on the web site to reflect.
So to be sure everyone understands…. there will be no advanced games on March 24 due to the Special Olympics basketball tournament.
We will change our schedules that are here in the office and please, please contact everyone to notify them of this change.
Thank you,
Sandie Olivar
