VALDOSTA — It’s a miracle 15 years in the making.

The Miracle League of Valdosta and the Valdosta-Lowndes County Parks & Recreation Authority break ground Tuesday, May 1, for a Miracle Field Complex at Freedom Park. 

The miracle field will be a two-dimensional, rubberized and fully accessible field for individuals with disabilities, according to parks and rec officials. The field will be larger than a standard field, so it can be used for baseball, soccer and other activities for individuals of all ages with disabilities.

The field is part of a larger Miracle Field Complex to be built by the authority. The complex will include four standard baseball fields, according to officials. The $5 million five-field complex will have a large pavilion and concession stand that are both fully accessible as well as a boundless playground.

A boundless playground is where all children can play together regardless of their level of ability, said Jessica Catlett, marketing and public relations director for the authority.

The Miracle League offers baseball to children with mental and physical disabilities.

It started in Conyers in 2000. From Georgia, the Miracle League has spread to teams in South Carolina, Alabama, West Virginia, Illinois and California.

The groundbreaking is a public-private partnership between the authority and the Miracle League, Catlett said. The authority is paying for the four standard fields, but the league is paying for the field through donations and fundraising.

The league is more than half way to its goal of $1.5 million for the field, according to officials. To raise money and awareness, the league has been hosting miracle games at Freedom Park for several years.

Andy Gibbs formed the league in 2004 and is still involved with bringing a field to Valdosta.

“The Miracle League field has been a dream for so many in the Valdosta community for nearly 15 years,” Gibbs said. “This groundbreaking symbolizes the efforts of a community that shares a servant’s heart. I am blessed to have been part of the realization of these efforts.”

Along with the groundbreaking, there will be two Miracle League games for the community to watch, according to officials. The first game will be 5:30 p.m. and the second will be 7 p.m. Tuesday. The games will be held at fields one and five.

The authority and the league invite the community to participate in the groundbreaking. There will be games, live music with Big El from Hot 102.7 and food from Chick-fil-A and Big Nick’s, according to officials.

The groundbreaking will be held 6 p.m. at Freedom Park. The project is expected to be open to the public for the spring 2019 baseball season.

For more information on miracle fields, or to donate to the MLV, visit http://www.miracleleagueofvaldosta.com/.

Jason Smith is a reporter at The Valdosta Daily Times. He can be contacted at 229-244-3400 ext.1257.