Smart discusses Miracle LeagueJoel Barrot Smart, lead employment specialist at the Burton
By Elizabeth Copeland
Center, talks about Miracle League, which is a non-profit organization through the Burton Center in Greenwood that gives school age children who are not eligible to play for their school or community teams due to being mentally disabled or handicapped the opportunity to participate in baseball.
The ball field which they play on is specifically designed for the handicapped. Smart 
explains that the field is made out of “soft rubberized tiles that makes it possible for kids with wheelchairs and crutches to play on. Smart further stated that the children get this opportunity “every Saturday in September, April, and May.”
Smart added that there is always room for another volunteer, “Volunteers such as church groups, high school and college level sports teams, the fire department, or even individuals simply looking for a way to give back come out to play with and coach these kids.” Each volunteer is a assigned a “buddy” to coach.
Smart also stated that the volunteers, especially sports teams, get a lot out of this experience because it “shows them how lucky they are to be able to play sports, and motivates them to work hard.”
