If you find yourself looking for something to do this weekend as the weather warms up and outdoors become increasingly alluring, take a trip down to Forrest Park. You’ll find one of the areas most popular charities, the Charleston Miracle League, batting away in full force. A community supported baseball league, the CML provides life-changing experiences for children and adults with physical and mental challenges. With no formal practices and no cost to participate, these champions build confidence, self-esteem, and social skills all through America’s favorite pastime.
A former Citadel baseball star himself, founder Channing Proctor became introduced to the Miracle League while living in Atlanta. After moving to the lowcountry, Proctor decided to start the Charleston branch of the Miracle League and raised the $250,000 needed to develop a field. The first pitch was thrown in 2004.
The development of the Charleston Miracle League was a home run. The community, city, and county became involved and have continually provided support, funding, and encouragement. A few years later, after recognizing a growing need to serve adults with disabilities, Proctor and his board launched an adult league. “It’s been extremely popular,” Proctor says. “You know, we have some players in their sixties…they certainly wouldn’t have been able to participate in things like this when they were younger. Now they have that opportunity. It’s nice to see the way our culture is changing.”
A price tag comes with change, and as a 501©3 nonprofit, the Charleston Miracle League relies on generous donations from benefactors, businesses, and organizations to help continue their work.  The league provides all teams and participants with uniforms, provides the league director salary, maintains the fields, and sends a few lucky team award winners to a professional baseball game. This once in a lifetime trip costs around $10,000, but Proctor says that the expense is worth it. “It’s an all expenses paid trip to see the Braves or the Oriels, and they absolutely love it. It’s all about making positive memories,” he says. As the league grows and increases the number of participants, operational expenses increase as well.
“The benefits of the league go way beyond the players themselves,” he says. “The families, the fans, the siblings…it’s such a networking tool that helps them deal with everything from insurance coverage issues to therapy.”
Along with weekly baseball games, Proctor and the board of the league currently have another large project on the table – a Therapy Play Module. Developed by Proctor’s additional nonprofit, the PlayToday Foundation, and in partnership with MUSC, the Therapy Play Module will be a large, open but shaded structure that allows therapists to work with kids in an outdoor setting. “Study after study has shone that kids are more engaged and successful in therapy in an outdoor environment,” Proctor says. “We have been looking at ways to move the Miracle League above and beyond to enhance lives beyond just baseball.”  The proposed module will cost an estimated $65,000 – $75,000. The CML board is in the process of deciding whether or not additional storage and office space should accompany the structure; if approved, the estimated cost would rise to around $100,000.
Fortunately for the league, and the hundreds of families and athletes that benefit from the baseball programs, runners and walkers participating in the 2013 Cooper River Bridge Run can support the Charleston Miracle League and help raise money for the Therapy Play Module. As an official charity of the Cooper River Bridge Run, participants can choose CML as their charity of choice by visiting www.charlestonmiracleleague.org and clicking on the “Bridging the Gap Through Baseball” link. Runners and walkers will be encouraged to raise at least $25 to support the CLM, and those who do so will receive an official 2013 Bridging the Gap through Baseball t-shirt.
Last year, the league raised over $22,000 in through the bridge run; this year, Proctor hopes the total number of funds will be even more.
Though the support and fundraising is crucial to keep the league running at its best, the stories and memories lie at the heart of the CML. “We have a 12 year old, who has been playing in the league since she was five. His mom told me, ‘it’s so nice to know that he will be able to participate in this as long as he lives.”
For more information on the Charleston Miracle League, and to learn how you can support the league, visit www.charlestonmiracleleague.org. Forrest Park is located at 780 West Oak Forest Drive in West Ashley.

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