KALISPELL — From fielding to hitting, Miracle League offers it all.
It is a baseball program for kids with special needs, and it also offers clinics put on by local baseball and softball teams throughout the Flathead Valley.
"It's our 13th year, we started with just two teams of about 40 kids and young adults and now we are growing to about 60 to 70 each year," Miracle League coach Jennifer Johnson said.
One of the best things about Miracle League Is the support of the community. This week the Kalispell Emeralds Girls softball team came out and put on a clinic.
"It's really nice to have the community support of local teams of regular teams, they come out in uniform, it's some of the funnest nights of the year for players," said Johnson. "We had the Glacier Twins out here and we are trying to get the (Kalispell) Lakers as well."
The first Miracle League team in the Pacific Northwest was in Kalispell. Now there is over 300 teams across the country but one thing they all have in common, is how rewarding it is to be a part of.
"I really liked being able to come out here with my whole team, and getting to know them and help them learn the game that we all love," said Mackenzie Brant of the Emeralds U-14 team.
Johnson said the reason she has done this every year is seeing the happiness it brings here when the players feel like they have a place where they fit in .
"I do it every year, it's just the kids did get a chance to really have fun and socialize and feel like they fit in," said Johnson.
"It's fun to get to know them for who they are, like, their challenges and their differences doesn't define them as a person," Brant added. "It is fun to get to know them and help them leave the game that they love."
