MOON TOWNSHIP, Pa. — Families of children with special needs in Moon Township and surrounding areas will soon have the opportunity to play together in a Miracle League baseball field in Moon Park.
Construction officially began on Wednesday in a groundbreaking ceremony with Pirates and Pirates Charities Chairman Bob Nutting, former Steelers running back Rocky Bleier, Edgar Snyder and other dignitaries, community leaders and project partners.
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"It's a great opportunity for the whole community to come together to celebrate what these children can do as opposed to what they can't do," said Pittsburgh Pirates President Frank Coonelly in Moon Park on Wednesday.
The Miracle League Field is one of several in the region in which the Pirates Charities have been involved in constructing.
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Construction of the field, along with a 9,500-square-foot custom adaptive playground and ADA accessible restroom facility is scheduled to be completed in the summer of 2019.
The field will be made of a surface with no raised areas to make it possible for people in wheelchairs and walkers to get around the field.
The inspiration for the field came from Luke Magulick, who is now 3 years old. Luke has a rare genetic disorder, so his father, Mike, wanted his son to be able to play with his family at the same time.
Mike and his wife Christina started the The Moon Township Miracle League and partnered with the Pirates Charities, along with People's Gas, Robert Morris University, Edgar Snyder and Associates, and others to make the project happen.
"No one dreams that their child and their siblings won't be able to play together," Magulick said. "Now that it's a possibility, and we won't have to travel far for the whole family to play, I can't give the word for it. This is the place where these kids will be the stars."