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Miracle League Selected For $10,000, Jimmie Johnson’s Helmet of Hope
April 30, 2013
Five-time NASCAR Sprint Cup Series champion Jimmie Johnson has selected the Miracle League of Pensacola to be featured on the 2013 Jimmie Johnson Foundation Blue Bunny Helmet of Hope. The Miracle League will receive $10,000 and will appear on the helmet Johnson will wear during race weekend activities at Michigan International Speedway in Brooklyn on August 18.
The Miracle League of Pensacola provides a safe, organized baseball league and facilities for Gulf Coast children with mental and/or physical challenges where every player plays, every player hits, every player gets on base, every player scores and every player wins – every inning. Currently they serve nearly 200 players ranging in age from 4 to 64 years young.
Paul Hinson, a volunteer umpire for the organization, nominated The Miracle League of Pensacola for the Blue Bunny Helmet of Hope, saying, “We accept all players, regardless of their challenges, there are players confined to wheelchairs, players with Down Syndrome and players with attention and learning disorders.”
The League pairs up an able bodied person with each player, enabling the people of the community to form a bond with the players and also to see the happiness that the players gain by being able to play the game of baseball.
“We are honored to be recognized and will continue to provide a safe and organized baseball league for the Gulf Coast,” Shirley Godwin of the Miracle League said.
Pictured top: Miracle League of Pensacola players, coaches and volunteers offer a special “thanks” to Jimmie Johnson, driver of the No. 48 Lowe’s Chevrolet for Nascar, after their selection to appear on the Jimmie Johnson Foundation Blue Bunny Helmet of Hope and a $10,000 grant. Submitted photo for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Comments
4 Responses to “Miracle League Selected For $10,000, Jimmie Johnson’s Helmet of Hope”
This is my first year coaching a team and I am honored to work with these kids. They are the most amazing individuals you will ever meet. I wish everyone would come and see at least one game, I promise you it wouldn’t be your last. I have the team “Orioles” and I love those kids like they are my own. They have taught me so much. We start back in Sept. and I can not wait!
I know my sister, Donna Thompson, would be so proud to know this. She was one of the founders of the Miracle League and passed away from pancreatic cancer on Apr.15th. She loved ML.
Our thanks to NorthEscambia for sharing our story….we are very blessed to be the recipient and are looking forward to a rewarding fall season! If you know of anyone interested in playing with us or volunteering with our program please visit our website and send us an e-mail. Thanks again William!
Thanks William for running this story… We were so excited when we got the news.. It is truly the most humbling and rewarding experience I have ever become involved with…For those that wonder, please join us in our fall season around the first of September… I promise you will enjoy and be blessed…