At 7 a.m. Saturday, May 9 individuals with disabilities will be one step closer to being able to play baseball at the Lemont Park District when construction begins on the Chicago White Sox Miracle Field of Lemont. The field will create a barrier-free play experience where no child—young or old—will be left out.

The field will be located at Centennial Park’s Field No. 3 and is tentatively scheduled to be dedicated on Sunday, June 8 — coinciding with Lemont Little League Live. It will be used for Lemont Little League Challenger League games and by Tri-County SRA for its special recreation programs. Additionally, the field will be available to older adults who are disabled and to Lemont-Bromberek Combined School District 113A for use with its special education programs.

The Lemont Park District, along with the help of the Lemont Little League and Tri-County Special Recreation Association, applied for and received grants to build the field late last summer. The field, which will cost more than $250,000 to complete, will be paid for almost completely through donations and grants.

The Chicago White Sox Charities and Miracle Field of Illinois donated $100,000, Sertoma contributed $25,000, Imperial Crane gave $10,000, Abbey Paving donated all of the excavation and site work, and Thrivent Lutheran Financial Services contributed a scoreboard and the cost of the electrical work.

Additionally, Callahan Plumbing has helped the project by donating the ADA water fountain that will be located near the field and Ozinga has donated the stone base necessary for the foundation. In keeping with the Park District’s commitment to “going green,” Ozinga created the stone that will be used as the foundation from the concrete walls of the Lemont Park District’s old pool.

As a way of thanking the contributors, the Miracle Field will contain a Wall of Fame identifying all contributors that donated $10,000 or more to its construction.

“It is a reflection of the heart and generosity of the Lemont Community that this Miracle Field is able to be built,” said Pat Sexton, Lemont Park Board president. “We believe that no child, however old, should be left out when it comes to enjoying America’s favorite past-time. Now, with the completion of this 18-month process behind us, we can say that there will truly be no child left inside in Lemont!”