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MWL1 Dayton Dragons

Dragons to Honor the Miracle League of Greater Dayton as "Community All-Star"

July 24, 2019 - Midwest League (MWL1)
Dayton Dragons News Release


Dayton, Ohio - The Dragons will honor The Miracle League of Greater Dayton during the unique "Community All-Stars" program on Thursday, July 25 at 7:00 p.m. when the Dayton Dragons take on the Great Lakes Loons at Fifth Third Field.

The Dayton community is a great place to live, work, and play. But what makes Dayton truly great are the people who do incredible things each and every day to make our community a special place to call home. Throughout the season, the Dragons, Vectren, and Flying Ace Express Car Wash will honor five "All-Stars" with a special inning break tribute in recognition of their service.

The Miracle League of Greater Dayton: Turning Dreams into a Reality

Many parents of special needs children find themselves providing around-the-clock care with no way for their child to live out their dreams. That's where The Miracle League of Greater Dayton comes into play, a program started in conjunction with the Coffman YMCA in Springboro, Ohio. The players aren't your average Little Leaguers. The Miracle League of Greater Dayton features up to 85 adults and children per session, all with a range of special needs and no one is left out no matter their situation.

All games take place at The Miracle Field, built in 2009 as an all-weather rubberized baseball field with no raised surfaces that would be an obstacle to the players. Also located at the field is an all-inclusive special needs playground that is completely handicap accessible.

Adam Wilhelm is the Director of Sports at the Coffman YMCA and has overseen The Miracle League since 2010. While he works on plenty of programs at the YMCA, he says, "The Miracle League is by far my favorite thing. It's amazing to see parents come up to you in tears of joy when they see their children with special needs play a sport."

Over the past five years, the program has welcomed over 650 children and adults with special needs to the field and has worked with over a thousand since the program began a decade ago. However, outside of Wilhelm, the program is volunteer based. Every week, student athletes from local high schools work one-on-one with each child as part of the "Buddy Program" during the game to make the experience even more special.

"It's the best part of my job," Wilhelm said emphatically. "I love seeing the kids so happy and smiling every day. You never know what you're going to get, and they look forward to it every week. I love the fact that we're able to make that parent's dream come true for their children."

The Miracle League runs two seasons every year for eight weeks in the spring and eight weeks in the fall. Roughly 25 volunteers help every Saturday when the season is underway. There are Miracle Leagues all over the United States and sometimes participants from the Dayton area will travel to play in regional All-Star games.

Learn more about ways you can support The Miracle League of Greater Dayton at www.miracleleaguedayton.org.

The Dragons Community All-Stars Program is made possible by the generous support of Vectren and Flying Ace Express Car Wash. For more information or to nominate an All-Star in your life, visit www.daytondragons.com/communityallstar.

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