Kiwanis pledges $300,000 for Miracle Field

The motto for all the Kiwanis Clubs on the international stage is  “Serving the children of the world right here at home.”

The local Kiwanis Clubs in Marion,  Cedar Rapids and Hiawatha have  embraced that motto right here in Linn County by pledging $300,000 for  naming rights to the new Miracle Field at Prospect Meadows.

The Miracle Field will give children and people of all ages with  disabilities the opportunity to play baseball on a field that’s being  built specifically for them, with a cushioned rubberized surface,  wheelchair-accessible dugouts and a completely flat surface to  eliminate barriers.

Byron Tabor, a member of two local Kiwanis Clubs, is serving as  president of the Kiwanis Miracle League at Prospect Meadows, and he’s  delighted that his organization will have its name permanently  attached to the Miracle Field, which will be the only one in our area.

Tabor has seen people playing on the Miracle Field in Des Moines, a  facility that has served as a model for the facility at Prospect  Meadows.

“It’s about helping the kids,” he said.  "Once you see it happen, the absolute pure joy those kids have is joyous to see."

The Miracle Field will be located just inside the entrance to Prospect  Meadows in a prime location.

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Prospect Meadows will feature top talent

Imagine baseball teams filled with Division I college prospects and  future Major League draft picks coming to Linn County for premier  tournaments and events.

Imagine somebody like Manny Machado, who just agreed to a $300 million  contract with the San Diego Padres, coming to town as a budding high  school player with enormous talent.

Steve James, the Assistant General Manager at Prospect Meadows, does  not have to imagine players like that. He witnessed it first-hand  during his years at Perfect Game USA, and he’ll be seeing the same  thing now with Perfect Game staging a string of its top events at  Prospect Meadows this year.

Perfect Game plans to hold up to 16 events at Prospect Meadows in 2019  as the primary tenant at the new facility that’s being built just  north of Marion at the juncture of Highway 13 and County Home Road.

The grand opening is planned for this spring. The first tournament  will be the Midwest Memorial Day Classic from May 24-27 and the  schedule of events will run through October.

The Memorial Day Classic is for 12U, 13U and 14U age groups, but there  will be plenty of high school-level events as the calendar moves  along. Perfect Game USA is considered the top amateur baseball  scouting service in the country with its events all over the United  States.

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Freese had original idea for Prospect Meadows

If you've ever wondered how Prospect Meadows got started, just ask  Rick Freese.

It was his idea.

Freese had a chance to see some of the top baseball complexes in the  country when he traveled to special events with his grandson, Dakota  Freese, when Dakota was a promising young player in Cedar Rapids. Rick  began asking himself a simple question: Why can't we have a major  complex like these in Linn County for our kids?

The idea began to take shape roughly 13 years ago - he thinks it was  about 2006 - and that got him started.

"The light started coming on," he said last week.

The lights will begin shining at Prospect Meadows for real in three  short months when the new facility opens its doors to the public. The  opening ceremony is scheduled for May 23 at the new facility, located  at the juncture of Highway 13 and County Home Road north of Marion.

It's been approximately 13 years from conception to reality. Freese  smiles at the notion that opening day is nearly here.

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Prospect Meadows has special Donor Wall

Tens of thousands of people will be coming to Prospect Meadows each  year and one of the first things they'll see is the eye-catching  Rotary Donor Wall at the new sports complex.

You can become a part of history at Prospect Meadows by having your  name on that wall. At the same time, you'll be making a valuable  contribution to the project.

For $500, you can have your name on one of the 600 baseballs on the  Rotary Donor Wall. And for $2,000, you can have your name on one of  the stars in the iconic structure.

The stainless steel Donor Wall is shaped like a map of Iowa with the  patriotic colors of red, white and blue in the likeness of an American  flag. The fundraising effort is being held in partnership with the  Metro Area Rotary Clubs.

You can put your family on the wall, you can put your business or  company on the wall, or you can dedicate one of the baseballs or stars  to something else you treasure.

You can request a red, white or blue ball. And all participants will  get a three-line inscription, with 12 characters on the first line, 13  characters on the second line and 12 characters on the third line.

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