Baseball has long been considered America’s pastime. It’s a rite of passage for many children, who begin playing the sport in youth leagues as young as 4-years-old. Yet for some people with physical, intellectual, or developmental disabilities, swinging a bat or running the bases on a traditional baseball field is incredibly difficult, or even impossible. Adaptive baseball programs remove the barriers of conventional leagues by creating specially designed playing fields and recruiting volunteers to assist players throughout the game. Wegmans is proud to partner with organizations throughout the east coast that make baseball accessible to all individuals through our donations of funds, food, and time.

Buddy Brandon
Since 1998, the Miracle League has provided a safe, welcoming environment where people of all abilities can come together to enjoy the game of baseball. Miracle League teams play on a custom-designed, rubberized turf field that accommodates wheelchairs and other assistive devices while helping to prevent injuries. Today, there are more than 350 Miracle League organizations across the country, serving 450,000 plus children and adults.

Brandon Joyce has worked for Wegmans since April 2020, and currently serves as the wine shop team leader at our Wake Forest store. He first volunteered with the Miracle League of the Triangle in North Carolina more than a decade ago and recently reconnected with the organization. Each year, Joyce volunteers as a “buddy” for several games of the Miracle League season, assisting one player throughout the game with a variety of tasks depending on their individual needs.

“There are children of all levels of ability that play,” said Joyce. “I’ve seen kids that can hit it out of the park and run the bases as fast as they can. Then we also have kids that are wheelchair users that really need assistance doing all parts of the game. For instance, if a child is a wheelchair user, a lot of times that’s when you’re going to be assisting them at the plate, you’re going to be helping them take the bat and the ball will be on the tee, and you’ll help them swing the bat, and then you’ll push the wheelchair around the field.”

Buddies play a vital role in the Miracle League, not only in helping players to participate in the game, but also by giving parents an opportunity to watch from the sidelines.

“We want the parents to be out in the stands cheering their kids on,” said Joyce. “We want them to be able to watch and enjoy it and be that cheerleader out in the stands for their kids like everyone else.”

While Joyce volunteers with the Miracle League on his own time, the Wake Forest Wegmans store where he works recently got involved with the organization as well. A group of employees, including Joyce, volunteered to be buddies for a game last fall. They brought caramel apples for the kids and spent an evening assisting the players on the field. The group enjoyed their time buddying so much that they plan to continue their support in 2023.

“It’s one of those unique ways that you can impact someone,” said Joyce. “The kids are able to feel what it’s like to be out there, playing a game, having people cheer them on. They kind of just forget about everything for an hour while they’re playing.”

A Field of Their Own
Ron Kampff brought Challenger Baseball, Little League’s adaptive baseball program, to Webster, New York in 2001 with a mission of providing an equal opportunity for everyone to play the game. Without a home field, his teams bounced from park to park each week, which put a strain on both players and volunteers. Determined to create a better experience for his players, Kampff, along with cofounder Don Barone, and a team of volunteers, set out to build a field of their own: Challenger Miracle Field.

After receiving a donation of land from the town of Webster, Kampff and his team met with Wegmans to discuss their plans for the property and their vision for the league. The project would fill a void in the community as it would be the only field of its kind within the Greater Rochester area. Wegmans saw potential behind the plans and provided $50,000 to help get things off the ground.

“Wegmans started to believe in us,” said Kampff. “I do seriously think a company like Wegmans, if they are behind something, it shows that it’s going to happen, and it did.”

Wegmans donation sparked other local businesses to get on board with the project, and in 2017, Challenger Miracle Field became a reality. Made with a specially designed cushioned turf surface, the field is fully wheelchair accessible. The bases and pitching mounds are painted on to remove any raised obstacles, the dugouts are enlarged to accommodate wheelchairs, and the property includes fully accessible restrooms, concession stands, a pavilion, and an ADA-approved playground.

Since opening, Challenger Miracle Field has added additional programing including soccer, flag football, kickball, and off-site basketball and bowling leagues. The team hosts an annual Christmas party and Valentine’s Day prom in winter, and they regularly connect with other groups that support people with disabilities, providing their facility for various fundraisers and events that bring the community together.

“It’s more than sports,” said Kampff. “It’s more than baseball, basketball, soccer. It’s feeling like you belong.”

Pitching In Companywide
Our stores partner with adaptive baseball programs across the company, providing annual donations and volunteers for Challenger Baseball and Miracle League programs in Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, New York, North Carolina, and Virginia.

“Everyone deserves to have access to activities that bring them joy and connection,” said Linda Lovejoy, Wegmans community relations manager. “Organizations like the Miracle League and Challenger Baseball create a culture of belonging that is inclusive and accessible for all, including many of our customers and employees.”