Miracle League Field at Mundy Miracle Commons
A fully accessible, soft-surfaced baseball field at Mundy Miracle Commons provides recreational opportunities for the entire community thanks to support from the MEDC’s Public Spaces Community Places program
For nearly a decade, the Miracle League of Greater Flint and Mundy Township dreamt of creating an inclusive place for play with the first fully accessible baseball field in Genesee County. That dream is now a reality, thanks to the support of the greater Flint community and the Michigan Economic Development Corporation’s (MEDC) Public Spaces Community Places (PSCP) crowdfunding program.
Located at Mundy Miracle Commons, the largest municipally owned and operated ADA/universal design park in Michigan, Miracle League Field is a soft-surfaced baseball field that allows children and adults with special needs to enjoy the sport of baseball. Accessible features of the ballfield include a reduced distance from home plate to center field, a rubber surface in lieu of grass and gravel dirt, large openings in the fence gates and bases painted into the rubber.
In April 2024, a crowdfunding campaign through the PSCP program was launched to support the completion of the ballfield, following nearly a decade of planning, fundraising and construction in early phases of the project. The campaign surpassed its $75,000 goal and received matching funds from the MEDC, including $25,000 from the PSCP program’s Universal Design and Accessibility Extension, which allows for additional matching funds if the project meets the standards of universal design and accessibility.
“The Public Spaces Community Places program was a wonderful opportunity to raise funds, and the community was eager to give knowing their donations would be matched by the MEDC,” said Mundy Township Supervisor Tonya Ketzler. “Those additional dollars put us over the top for what was needed to finish the field.”
Miracle League Field at Mundy Miracle Commons celebrated its ribbon cutting on Sept. 6 with Lt. Gov. Garlin Gilchrist II, Sen. John Cherry and representatives from Special Olympics Michigan in attendance. In the time since its completion, the ballfield is already providing the Flint area with safe and accessible recreational opportunities for the entire community to enjoy.
“After we opened up our field at the beginning of September, we were able to host a camp the following weekend with several athletes who were able to play baseball for the very first time,” said Brian Caine, lead director of the Miracle League of Greater Flint. “We had a few of our board members out there with some of our athletes, and had an opportunity to run the bases, field, catch some balls and hit from home plate. It was an amazing experience, and that's the extent that we've been able to do so far on the field this year. We're looking forward to next year and opening our field for leagues.”
Caine says he hopes Miracle League Field will serve as recreational asset for the local community and help make the park a regional destination.
“As a Miracle League in greater Flint, we are involved with other Miracle Leagues around the region,” Caine said. “We have a lot of different ways that we can be a center point for those other leagues to hopefully promote travel baseball in the future.”
In addition to baseball, the Miracle League of Greater Flint will continue to partner with other agencies who provide services for children and adults with disabilities, offering the field for their use as well for special programs, outdoor activities, classroom programs and more.
Learn more about how the MEDC’s Public Spaces Community Places program is helping communities across the state of Michigan and how you can support a crowdfunding project.