Monroe
Money, not miracle, is key to field

By Judy Chia Hui Hsu
Times Snohomish County Bureau

JIM BATES / THE SEATTLE TIMES Chase Hedin of Monroe raised about $4,000 for Miracle Field by asking for pledges for every strikeout he tossed in Little League.

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You won't find a pitcher's mound and the bases will be painted on, but the Miracle League's baseball field will be no diamond in the rough.

For the disabled youngsters who can play on the field and for the people who have been raising money for its construction, Miracle Field will be the culmination of a long-awaited dream. The ballpark's groundbreaking ceremony is scheduled Dec. 11.

Designed for children with disabilities, the Monroe Rotary Club's field will soon be built near Skykomish River Centennial Park, adjacent to the East County Senior Center. Members of the Rotary Club have envisioned the accessible ballpark as a place that the Miracle League, a 5-year-old baseball club, could call home next season.

How to help Miracle League seeks donations for ballfield Send checks to the Monroe Rotary Club, P.O. Box 293, Monroe{sbquo} WA 98272. Donations are tax-deductible. For more information, see www.monroemiracles.org or contact Ric Carlson at 360-794-5916 or riccarlson@monroe.net.

"These kids that we've come to know have never been part of a team before," said Collette Reams, the president of the Monroe Rotary. "Once they hit the field, they forget they're disabled because they're on a baseball team now."

The city is reviewing the project's grading permit, one of the final steps before construction can begin, Reams said. Rotary Club members want the ballfield to draw residents from neighboring communities, too.

"This isn't just about Monroe kids," said Ric Carlson, the director of the city's Miracle League program and the Rotary Club's past president. "We're hoping it'll be used by kids and programs throughout the region."

The group has grown from seven children at its inception to 41 this year, Reams said. They come from a dozen cities; some players even travel from North Bend and Bellevue. The youngsters currently play at Lake Tye Park in Monroe.

For those who participate, Miracle League plays an important part in their lives, Reams said. "We've had kids reschedule surgeries around their baseball season."

About five years ago, Carlson learned about Georgia's Miracle League program from a Rotary magazine. He became interested because he builds parks and ballfields for a living.

"When I read about the kids that were involved and what it meant to them, it just touched my heart," he said.

Carlson discussed the idea with fellow Rotary members, "and it just kind of snowballed from there."

The Monroe Rotary Club Foundation is raising money to build a field on 5 acres donated by the city, Carlson said.

"Once we're finished, we gift it to the city," Reams said. "It will be added to their Parks Department."

The ballpark will cost $1 million to build, but because much of the work will be done by volunteers and many materials will be donated in-kind, the club needs to raise only about $500,000 for construction, Carlson said.

"The money that we've raised so far has mostly been through the grass-roots level," he said. After a 2½-year campaign, the club has raised almost $130,000.

Chase Hedin, a 12-year-old seventh-grader at Monroe Middle School, is among those who have joined the effort. He raised about $4,000 for Miracle Field by asking for pledges for every strikeout he tossed as a Little League pitcher. For his work, Chase will be honored as the Monroe Rotary Club's Centennial Citizen in January.

Carlson said every aspect of the field has been designed with special-needs children in mind: larger restrooms with grab bars, lower drinking fountains with more clearance for those in wheelchairs and access to all areas of the field.

The field will be covered with artificial turf instead of grass, the same as the kind used in the Husky and Qwest stadiums in Seattle.

Designers plan to paint the bases, do without a pitcher's mound and build dugouts at ground level for those on crutches, with walkers and in wheelchairs.

Numerous disabled-parking spaces, large enough to fit vans with wheelchairs, will be available, Reams added. If there is enough money, the club plans to install a concession stand, a press box and lights.

Miracle League will have priority scheduling, but "the city now has a gated venue for anything they need to sell tickets to," Reams said. The neighboring senior center will also use the space for outdoor gatherings.

For now, members of Monroe's Rotary Club are focused on a second wave of fund raising: writing grants.

"It's definitely a long and daunting process," Carlson said. "But we're committed to seeing it through."

Judy Chia Hui Hsu: 425-745-7809 or jhsu@seattletimes.com

Copyright © 2004 The Seattle Times Company

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