Whitefish Community Foundation continues its 25th-anniversary celebration with a $50,000 Major Community Project Grant to the Miracle League of Northwest Montana to help resurface the Flathead Valley’s only baseball field that is fully accessible to individuals with disabilities.

The Miracle League of Northwest Montana was founded in 2009 by a group of community members who recognized a need for recreational and athletic opportunities for people with special needs. The Miracle Field at Kidsports Complex in Kalispell was the first of its kind in the Pacific Northwest. Today the field serves approximately 100 individuals with disabilities, ranging in age from three to adult. The Miracle League is run completely by volunteers and is free for all participants.

“Whitefish Community Foundation’s incredible $50,000 donation toward our field resurfacing capital campaign will allow us to continue bringing baseball to all abilities,” Miracle League Director Jennifer Johnson said. “The Miracle League is magical. We invite everyone to come be a part of it as a player, volunteer, sponsor or cheering spectator.”

To date, the Miracle League of Northwest Montana has raised $250,000 of the $325,000 needed to resurface the 20-year-old field with a quick-draining synthetic turf and additional safety features. For more information about the project or to make a donation, visit miracleleaguenwmt.org.

“The Miracle League’s work exemplifies the kind of lasting impact that makes the Flathead Valley such a vibrant community,” Whitefish Community Foundation President/CEO Alan Davis said. “We’re proud to fund the replacement of Miracle Field, ensuring that athletes of all abilities and their families have a safe and welcoming place to gather and play for many years to come.”

Whitefish Community Foundation’s Major Community Project Grant Program is dedicated to helping nonprofit organizations complete capital projects that will have a significant and positive effect on the Flathead Valley.

In celebration of Whitefish Community Foundation’s 25th anniversary, the foundation is awarding $500,000 in Major Community Project grants to nonprofits throughout the Flathead Valley this year. In addition to the grant to the Miracle League of Northwest Montana, the foundation has granted $100,000 to Samaritan House to support their Building Stability expansion project, $50,000 to the Alano Club of Kalispell to expand meeting space for individuals seeking help with addiction recovery, $100,000 to the Columbia Falls Kids Foundation for the renovation of the old Glacier Gateway Elementary School building and $30,000 to Bigfork Youth Baseball Association for a new home field. Additional Major Community Project grants will be announced later in the year.

Funding for the Major Community Project Grant Program comes from the Circle of Giving, Whitefish Community Foundation’s core group of donors who give $5,000 or more annually to support the grant programs and mission of the foundation.

To learn more about the foundation’s 25th-anniversary initiatives and opportunities to get involved, visit whitefishcommunityfoundation.org/25th-anniversary or contact Davis at (406) 863-1781 or [email protected].