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State Representative Joe Atkins
100 Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd.
651-296-4192
For more information contact: Chris Shields 651-296-8873
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KILLEBREW JOINS ATKINS IN MAKING PITCH FOR "MIRACLE FIELDS"
BLAINE - Twins legend Harmon Killebrew joined State Representative Joe Atkins of Inver Grove Heights, along with disabled youth athletes and their families, to push for legislation to provide state bonding assistance to build more fields for children with disabilities. The legislation would provide small grants to serve as seed money for the fields, with the aim being to spur additional private fundraising efforts. Miracle Fields proponents hope to match the grants 10-to-1. Atkins said he got the idea after reading a story about a field going up in Lakeville and based on his experience with a boy who played on his daughter’s t-ball team.
“I saw firsthand the joy this little boy got from playing baseball with his teammates, and the joy his teammates got from playing with him," said Atkins, “But I also saw the terrible struggle that a typical field presented for him.”
A Miracle Field incorporates a cushioned synthetic turf that accommodates wheelchairs and other walking assistance devices, while helping prevent injuries. Children without disabilities can also use the fields. So far, the Miracle League has built a field in Blaine and has broken ground on fields in Minnetonka and Lakeville. Hundreds of athletes have already used the Blaine field. Each field costs roughly $275,000, though donated land and labor lessen the cost considerably.
Miracle League of Minnesota Executive Director Kevin Thoresen said Atkins' legislation would provide more opportunities to the more than 80,000 Minnesota children who are considered disabled.
“With a little support from the state, we can make the Miracle League grow by leaps and bounds and provide more opportunities to our athletes," Thoresen said.
State Senator Geoff Michel of Edina is carrying the legislation in the Senate. The bipartisan bill is co-authored by House Capital Investment Chair Alice Hausman of St. Paul and State Rep. Mary Liz Holberg of Lakeville.
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