A Home Run for the West Suburbs New Miracle League field coming thanks to local collaboration.
BY KATHY RUDOLPH
Not many kids can say they were the inspiration for a new baseball field. But someday Luke Magulick, age 2½, will be able to.
Luke, the son of Mike and Christina Magulick of Moon Township, was diagnosed with 5p- Syndrome, a rare genetic disorder that affects only 50 to 60 births a year in the United States.
“ When Luke was diagnosed, my wife and I wanted to do something to help families of children with special needs,” explains Mike Magulick.“ It was difficult to navigate. Should we write a book, or a blog? Make videos? What would be the best way?”
The answer came while he was coaching for The Miracle League of the South Hills in Upper St. Clair, founded by Sean Casey, a former first baseman for the Pittsburgh Pirates.
The first Miracle League was founded in 2000 in Conyers, Georgia, and has grown to include more than 240 locations across the country, including Puerto Rico and Canada. The league serves children and adults who suffer from physical or mental disabilities and eliminates barriers that keep them off the baseball field, such as replacing the natural grass fields used in conventional leagues with a custom-designed, rubberized turf field that accommodates wheelchairs and other assistive devices while helping to prevent injuries.
“ We saw all of the things that the league was able to do for everyone in the community,” says Magulick, who has been a Miracle League coach for five years.
With locations in Cranberry, Upper St. Clair and Murrysville, there was a void in the west suburbs, making Moon Township an ideal choice for a Miracle League site. A board made up of family and friends was formed and the group received approval from the league’ s national organization and from Moon Township. With that, The Miracle League of Moon Township was born.“‘ Wow!’ was my first reaction to the possibility of Moon Township being home to a Miracle League Field,” says Moon Township Manager Dawn Lane.“ Now that the possibility has turned into reality, we have a lot to do. The Board of Supervisors
( L-R) Jack, Luke, Mike and Christina Magulick.
and staff are anxiously working through all the pieces with the Magulicks to provide space for this facility, while maintaining the field space we currently have allotted for other sports programs in Moon. The development of this field will not only benefit Moon area children with handicap accessibility needs, but all children in the surrounding communities. Needless to say, we are beyond excited.”
With tentative plans to break ground next fall, the Miracle League field will be located at Endeavor Field in Moon Park on Ewing Road. In addition to the field, the site will include an adaptive playground with a space theme, adaptive restrooms, walking trails, a parking lot, pavilions and more. Along with baseball, future plans include offering other sports for athletes who have special needs, ages 8 and up, in Moon and other municipalities. The site will also be available for the entire community to use.
“ The most important thing we are trying to do is make sure everyone comes and uses the campus once it’ s up and running,” says
Photos courtesy Mike Magulick
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