Volunteer Description
Experience the Joy. “You will get more out of it than you put in”
Our league has a variety of volunteer opportunities. Enthusiasm and compassion are the pre-requisites. By giving only a few hours of your time, not only will you make a difference in the life of a child with special needs, but you will also grow as a person.
Opportunities
- Buddy (must be age 12 or older)
- Coaching Team (Coaches, Assistant Coaches)
Contact us at dave.mlhuntsville@gmail.com to find out more about our volunteer program.
A letter from a volunteer
I’ve mentioned before how the news these days seems to foster a feeling of gloom and doom. I’ve also mentioned how sometimes all you need is a little perspective.
This summer, Justin and I have been volunteering with the Miracle League Association – a national baseball organization that allows kids with special needs the experience of playing ball and being part of a team. The children on our team have autism, ADHD, seizure disorders and Down syndrome. Some come in wheel chairs; some walk with a limp. Many of them aren’t able to speak.
One of the little girls on our team greets her teammates the same way each week. Full of energy and wearing a smile from ear to ear she exclaims, “Aren’t you excited? Today is a very big deal. We’re playing an important game!”
The games are all the same. We play two innings. Every player gets a hit and takes their base. The last player of the inning hits a home run. There are no outs. No winners. No losers. Every game ends in a tie.
Yet to this little girl, this is an important game. For this hour during the week, she is independent of the usual adults in her life, with only me as her shadow. She takes her stance in left field and waves at her parents, who cheer her on from the bleachers behind home plate. The ball rarely makes it past the pitcher, but she cheers, gives her teammates high-fives and a lot of hugs. She is playing baseball.
When the game is over, she is still grinning. “That was an important game and we played really hard!”
Need some perspective? Find the Miracle League Park in your area. Watching the joy these kids get from such a simple thing will remind you how much in life there is to be grateful for.
Signed
“A Buddy”