TOYOTA BLUEGRASS MIRACLE LEAGUE
LOCAL PRESS
Golf tourney proceeds go to 31 groups
By Sarah Vos
Pablo Alcala | Staff
Daryll Ishmael, left, and Wilson Beebe of Toyota Bluegrass Miracle League baseball attended the charity kick-off lunch.
Wilson "Slugger" Beebe grinned widely as he collected a large check from the Children's Charity of the Bluegrass for the Toyota Bluegrass Miracle League.
The Children's Charity fund gave $489,000 to 31 charities yesterday, including the Miracle League. The money was raised at last year's Children's Charity Classic, an annual golf tournament. The luncheon was the kickoff for this year's tournament, the 27th.
The 31 charities reach more than 300,000 children in Central Kentucky. Each group received between $1,000 and $100,000.
In the last two years, the Miracle League has gotten $30,000 from the fund. The group runs a baseball league for disabled persons, ages 5 to 19. The field, in Shillito Park, has a special surface that allows kids who use wheelchairs and walkers to run the bases.
Beebe, 17, has played with the Miracle League for two seasons. Because of the Miracle League, he has met pitcher Roger Clemens, thrown out the first pitch for the Lexington Legends and earned the nickname Slugger. He also has had fun and made friends.
"Everyone wins and no one loses," Beebe said.