VALDOSTA — Councilman Andy Gibbs was presented with the Volunteer of the Year Award for Georgia Recreation and Parks Association Thursday night at a Valdosta City Council meeting.

Gibbs won the award based for his work with starting the Miracle League of Valdosta. 

Gibbs had the vision for a Miracle League in 2004, even raising several thousand dollars for it, but it didn’t get started until 2014 with the help of George Page, executive director of the VLPRA, and Jeremy Davis, who has served as president of the Miracle League of Valdosta since its inception.

The league offers both adults and children with mental or physical disabilities the chance to play baseball in a league setting. 

Games last about 45 minutes to an hour with every player batting and running the bases each inning. Players are assisted by volunteers, known as buddies, that help them run the bases and protect them from hard-hit balls.

At the city meeting, Steve Card, executive director for GRPA, explained why it awarded Gibbs.

“It’s interesting to have such an individual who didn’t sit on the sidelines,” Card said. “He made a couple of phone calls, took the bull by the horns, and now there’s a Miracle League of Valdosta.”

He said Gibbs made it possible for kids with disabilities across the region, not only in Valdosta, to have a place to call their own and participate in activities. 

Randy Spivey, president of GRPA, presented Gibbs with the award.

Gibbs said the award means a lot to him, but he gave credit to the many people behind the scenes who helped make the league a reality. 

“It’s like I always say, ‘If you’re having a bad day, come to a Miracle League game and I guarantee you that you’ll realize your bad day is not really a bad day.'”

Thomas Lynn is a government and education reporter for The Valdosta Daily Times. He can be reached at (229)244-3400 ext. 1256