TITLE: Honoring the buddies and volunteers of the Miracle League of Austin.

SUMMARY: Honoring the buddies and volunteers of the Miracle League of Austin.

FULL TEXT:
WHEREAS, The buddies and volunteers who take part in the Miracle League of Austin are making positive and lasting contributions to their community; and WHEREAS, The Miracle League, a program of the Town and Country Optimist Club, offers special needs children between the ages of 4 and 19 the opportunity to enjoy the fun and excitement of playing baseball; the participants get to be a part of a team while playing in two-inning games that last approximately one hour, and every person gets to bat and score in each inning; the seven-game seasons are held in the fall and spring and are played on The Round Rock Express Miracle Field, which was specially designed to safely accommodate wheelchairs, walkers, and other equipment; the players receive the assistance of at least one buddy, a volunteer who is assigned to protect and assist them in all aspects of the game; buddies are typically area middle and high school students between the ages of 12 and 18 who contribute their time on Saturdays to support the league's players; other volunteers help coordinate the buddies and manage league activities; and WHEREAS, The first Miracle League was formed in Rockdale County, Georgia, in 1998, and in the spring of 2006, Steve Brown, a member of the Town and Country Optimist Club's board of directors, and Adam Weisberg, a local restaurateur, began working to bring the concept to Austin; Mr. Brown and Mr. Weisberg enlisted the aid of countless volunteers and benefactors from within their community to make the league a reality; the Optimist club provided the land, and a major fund-raising campaign began to secure the $500,000 needed to build the specialized field; and WHEREAS, The fund-raising campaign was a great success, and the Miracle League received enthusiastic support from many businesses, including the Round Rock Express and the Nolan Ryan Foundation; among the individuals who also supported the effort were architect Michael Antenora, who designed the facility, Reed Seaton, owner of Hellas Construction, who contributed to the construction of the site, and Dave Fendrick, currently president of the Round Rock Express, who played an integral role in getting the baseball club and the foundation to donate $250,000 for the naming rights to the field; their generous sponsorship led to its successful construction; and WHEREAS, The Miracle League began playing in 2006 on existing softball fields until The Round Rock Express Miracle Field opened for play in fall 2007; since beginning with 2 teams of 23 players, 31 buddies, and 7 volunteers, the league has grown to include 12 teams of 180 players, more than 240 buddies, and over 40 volunteers; and WHEREAS, Through the Miracle League of Austin, countless special needs children have been able to participate in America's pastime, and this experience has brought immeasurable joy to the players, their parents, and the buddies and volunteers; now, therefore, be it RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 82nd Texas Legislature hereby commend the buddies and volunteers of the Miracle League at Town and Country and extend to all those associated with the league sincere best wishes for continued success; and, be it further RESOLVED, That an official copy of this resolution be prepared for the Miracle League of Austin as an expression of high regard by the Texas House of Representatives. Gonzales of Williamson Straus Gonzales of Williamson Morrison Aliseda Gonzalez Munoz, Jr. Allen Gooden Murphy Alonzo Guillen Naishtat Alvarado Gutierrez Nash Anchia Hamilton Oliveira Anderson of Dallas Hancock Orr Anderson of McLennan Hardcastle Otto Aycock Harless Parker Beck Harper-Brown Patrick Berman Hartnett Paxton Bohac Hernandez Luna Pena Bonnen Hilderbran Perry Branch Hochberg Phillips Brown Hopson Pickett Burkett Howard of Fort Bend Pitts Burnam Howard of Travis Price Button Huberty Quintanilla Cain Hughes Raymond Callegari Hunter Reynolds Carter Isaac Riddle Castro Jackson Ritter Chisum Johnson Rodriguez Christian Keffer Schwertner Coleman King of Parker Scott Cook King of Taylor Sheets Craddick King of Zavala Sheffield Creighton Kleinschmidt Shelton Crownover Kolkhorst Simpson Darby Kuempel Smith of Harris Davis of Dallas Landtroop Smith of Tarrant J. Davis of Harris Larson Smithee S. Davis of Harris Laubenberg Solomons Deshotel Lavender Strama Driver Legler Taylor of Collin Dukes Lewis Taylor of Galveston Dutton Lozano Thompson Eiland Lucio III Torres Eissler Lyne Truitt Elkins Madden Turner Farias Mallory Caraway Veasey Farrar Margo Villarreal Fletcher Marquez Vo Flynn Martinez Walle Frullo Martinez Fischer Weber Gallego McClendon White Garza Menendez Woolley Geren Miles Workman Giddings Miller of Comal Zedler Gonzales of Hidalgo Miller of Erath Zerwas Speaker of the House I certify that H.R. No. 2276 was adopted by the House on May 26, 2011, by a non-record vote. Chief Clerk of the House