$115,000 Raised For Miracle Field

Project One Four delivered a $75,000 check to the City of Murfreesboro on July 18^th to add to an earlier $40,000 donation as the foundation raises funds for the $2.2 million complex planned for the southwest corner of Memorial Boulevard and DeJarnette Lane in McKnight Park.

“We are extremely grateful for the work of the Project One Four Foundation in partnering with the City of Murfreesboro to bring Miracle Field to our community,” said Mayor Shane McFarland.  “We encourage everyone with a heart for children and adults with physical and mental challenges to join us in building this field of dreams in Murfreesboro.”

Trinity Builders was awarded the construction bid and began prepping the site July 14 for construction. Lose and Associates, Inc. is performing engineering work. To view a fly-through of the planned project on YouTube visit https://youtu.be/hLmTccsAFRQ.

At the Groundbreaking Ceremony held in February, Boston Red Sox pitcher David Price donated $300,000 towards the project. Price grew up in Murfreesboro and was a standout pitcher for Blackman High School and Vanderbilt University before becoming a star for Tampa Bay (Cy Young Award winner), Detroit, and Toronto.  Project One Four is currently engaging the community for sponsorships and is also offering a Paver Program. Information is available at www.project14.org or email [email protected].

A number of Project One Four fundraising events are planned to raise funds:

• Old Fort Golf Classic–October 28
• Dinning with David, Omni in Nashville—November 5
• David’s Big Fun Golf Adventure at the Golf Club of Tennessee—November 7

The City of Murfreesboro and Project One Four, a David Price Foundation, are teaming together to bring a Miracle Field to Murfreesboro.  Miracle Field is a custom-designed, special rubberized baseball field built for children and adults with special needs and accommodates wheelchairs and other assertive devices. To watch a YouTube video on the Miracle Field concept produced by CityTV, visit https://youtu.be/sUpgALJdnZY. The proposed field also includes covered seating, plaza, and playground.

The project specifically incorporates a variety of features within the Miracle Field Complex.  The Miracle Field itself includes a covered seating area, restroom building, and concession building.  Other features include a standard baseball/softball field, and an inclusive playground.  The latter is a special playground system that includes equipment that enables play for all abilities (e.g. a teeter-totter for wheel chairs).

The complex also includes a main plaza with a central kugel ball water feature (the sphere is a representative of a baseball with David Price’s signature) and two donor walls.  Additionally, the complex includes picnic tables and benches throughout.

The Miracle League removes the barriers that keep children with mental and physical challenges off the baseball field and lets them experience the joy of America’s favorite pastime. Since the main barriers for these adults arise from the natural grass fields used in conventional leagues, Miracle League teams play on a custom-designed, rubberized turf field that accommodates wheelchairs and other assertive devices while helping to prevent injuries.

More than playing a game, Miracle League is about making new friends, building self-esteem and being treated just like other athletes.  To help the athletes, the Miracle League uses a “buddy” system – pairing each player with an able-bodied peer.  The result is a bond that cannot be described. Learn more about Miracle League at http://www.themiracleleague.net/about-2/.

McKnight Park is an 81-acre community park located in the northern area of Murfreesboro. In addition to Sports*Com, outdoor facilities include four youth softball fields and Star*Plex, a five-field youth/adult baseball/softball complex. For more information, please contact Lanny Goodwin, Parks & Rec Director at 615-890-5333, or email [email protected].

For City News online, visit www.Murfreesborotn.gov.