Miracle League Provides Opportunity for Youth to Experience the Joy of Baseball
President Nick with Duncan Beagle and Brian Caine
On April 10, Brian Caine of the Miracle League of Greater Flint shared about a passion project of his that he has been working on since he was 15 years old. Growing up, he played baseball and also volunteered with kids with special needs. After learning about a Miracle League program in Lansing, he was inspired to start one in the Flint area. In the last two years, that vision has come to fruition with the Miracle League field at Munday Miracle Commons just south of Flint.
The Miracle League provides both an accessible baseball field and a supportive environment where children of all abilities can thrive. Participants who may not have had the opportunity to play sports before are able to play using whatever assistive device or support person they need. Games are two innings and everyone has the opportunity to bat and field each inning.
According to the Genesee Intermediate School District, there are approximately 9,000 children in the county who could be eligible for the program. Last year, which was the first year of the program, 100 youth participated. This spring, Miracle League of Greater Flint hopes to serve 150 young people. Registration is open until April 20 and is open to any young person age 4 and up with a physical or cognitive disability.
The Rotary Club of Flint has two connections with this program. One is that Brian's mom, Roxanne Caine, is one of our past presidents! The other is that our club teamed up with other Rotary Clubs in our region to provide a grant to help support the cost of constructing the field.
Brian invited Rotarians to see the program in action at any of their upcoming games. With the exception of the 4th of July weekend, the Miracle League of Greater Flint will host games from 10 am- 1 pm each Saturday from June 13 to August 23. The ballpark is located at Mundy Miracle Commons behind the Home Depot on Hill Rd.
It's Our Anniversary!
110 years ago last week, the Rotary Club of Flint launched with 23 members. They included a dentist, physician, lawyer, banker, funeral director, pastor, nonprofit professional, and a variety of small business people. They were intrigued by this rather new concept of Rotary, which existed to connect professionals of diverse backgrounds to exchange ideas, form friendships, and give back to their communities.
Today, some things have changed-- we have embraced women's leadership and updated our areas of focus to include things like the environment. Our club is now one of 45,000 around the world in almost every country. The Rotary Club of Flint has built relationships with partners in Haiti, India, Lebanon, and Russia.
Yet, the core of our purpose has stayed the same. We still link people in our community from a variety of sectors who are united in our commitment to Service Above Self. (And we still have a variety of dentists, bankers, nonprofit professionals, and small business people!) Who will you invite to join us next?
Cheers to 110 years!
To mark our anniversary, President Nick played one of the club history videos created by Past President Gene Dennis for our 99th anniversary. The entire collection of historical videos is available on our website.
Next Up: April 24 Regular Meeting at Noon at the Food Bank- Dr. Jim Weber, Hurley Emergency Medicine Physician
Next Thirsty Thursday: 5-7 pm on April 16 at Queens' Provisions
News You Can Use!
The Blue Water Bridge
District Conference
There are some exciting things happening with Rotarians in our neck of the woods. The first is that the District 6330 conference will be held just across the border in Sarnia on May 29-31. Registration is now open. The conference will feature our District Governor, Genesee County's own Jeff Ferweda, and a keynote address by Bobby Mukkamala. A room block with the discounted rate of $134 CAD per night is available, but only through April 30. Conference registrations are available for the full conference or for Saturday only.
NASCAR, Anyone?
NASCAR is inviting Rotarians to purchase discounted tickets ($40) for a NASCAR Cup Series Race at Michigan International Speedway on Sunday, June 7. For questions, please contact Kylee Moenter at 517-594-4375 or kmoenter@nascar.com. Tickets can be purchased here or by using the QR code on the right.
Crim Volunteer Registration
And... since this week has us enjoying a taste of summery weather, let's talk about the Crim Rotary Mile. District 7 clubs will once again be staffing the water station and intersections along our section of the Crim Festival of Races on Saturday, August 22. We are getting an early start on recruitment-- please sign up to volunteer! It starts with a fabulous breakfast at Mike Chaffee's at 6 am and you will be done before noon. It's a great way to be part of one of Flint's premiere events as you enjoy some Rotarian fellowship.
Photo booth at a previous Crim race
Health and Welfare
We are sorry to share that Ashley Prew's mother, Donna Wangberg, passed away. Visitation will be held on April 16 at noon with the funeral service beginning at 1 pm. It will be held at Sharp Funeral Home located at 1000 W. Silver Lake Rd. in Fenton. Please keep Ashley and her family in your thoughts.
