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Field of Hope fundraiser needs corporate, individual donors By JOHN
MUNFORD
The Fayette Field of Hope still needs the help of corporate sponsors and individual donors to help build a baseball field designed to make it easier for players who have physical disabilities. The Field of Hope, which will feature a rubberized playing surface, will be located at the Highway 74 South baseball/soccer complex in Peachtree City. Organizers hope to begin construction in March and have the field ready to play on by September. The effort still needs a mixture of approximately $300,000 of both cash and in-kind donations, said Nick Harris, who is helping organize the fundraising project. "We still don't have any major corporate sponsors," said Harris, who also is head of Peachtree City's Challenger baseball league, a special program for players with physical disabilities. So far, organizers have raised approximately $232,000 of in-kind services and about $50,000 in cash, much of which came from a celebrity softball game and country concert held by Kicks 101.5. Group VI has contributed approximately $50,000 of in-kind donations to help make the project a reality, Harris noted. The Field of Hope would be the second of its kind in the entire country and Harris hopes to attract a national tournament to use the field here. In Fayette County alone, approximately 2,400 children qualify to participate in the Challenger league, but many participants travel here from other counties that don't have a similar league, Harris said. The program is currently run on a normal Little League field, but that causes problems for some participants, Harris said. Particularly when the it was damp, "some kids couldn't even get onto the field," Harris noted. The field will feature a surface that makes it easier for children using wheelchairs and walkers to participate, Harris said. The program was also designed for children with blindness, he added. The rubberized surface has a life expectancy of approximately 30 years. The plans also call for a concession stand that was designed to be "all-accessible," Harris said. There will also be room left for a second regular baseball diamond next to the current complex. The Peachtree City Planning Commission approved the conceptual site plan for the field Monday night. To inquire about donating services, products or funds for the project, contact Group VI at 770-389-9100 or the Bank of Georgia at 770-631-9488.
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