The Easton Rotary Club presented a check for the final $32,000 of a total $100,000 contribution to the Miracle League of Northampton County.
It was just before 1 o'clock this afternoon when the Mets and Dodgers finally took to the Easton Rotary Field in Palmer Township.
Everything pointed to another normal day at the ballpark. An enthusiastic crowd had just taken in a rendition of the national anthem, lines were forming at the concessions stand and the first batter for the Mets was warming up.
With two runners already on base, Tyler Venkersammy calmly stepped into the batter's box. Calling his shot like a modern-day Babe Ruth, Venkersammy took a couple pitches before blasting a ground-rule double over the right field wall, driving in the game's first run.
The crowd went wild.
Since opening its facility at the Charles Chrin Community Center last year, the Miracle League of Northampton County has provided moments like these to disabled children of all ages from all corners of the Lehigh Valley.
"All of a sudden, they get to play," said B.J. Metz, a member of the Easton Rotary Club. The club gave the Miracle League a final donation today, completing funding for the field. "It means the world to them."
The $750,000 facility -- fully equipped with a baseball diamond, family area and concession stand -- was funded entirely through donations.
Today marked the end of that fundraising journey as the Rotary presented a check for the final $32,000 of a total $100,000 contribution to the league, helping to solidify the program's place in the region for years to come.
Metz called it a "signature project" for the club, saying how quickly the facility went from idea to reality is remarkable. "It all came together in two years. It's amazing," he said.
While the league gives disabled children the opportunity to play, it also gives their parents an opportunity to watch their kids compete athletically.
"If you talk to these parents, (they will say) it means everything," Metz said.
For Rick Agretto, president of the Miracle League chapter, few things beat a weekend afternoon spent at the field watching the kids play.
"The atmosphere is just upbeat," Agretto said. "Everybody is having a good time."
The players' attitudes stick with Agretto. He points to the occasional moment when a wheelchair-bound kid hits the ball, rises up from the chair and walks towards first base -- a symbol for what's really at the heart of the Miracle League.
"It's just inspirational," Agretto said. "These kids don't have to be on the sidelines any longer."
No longer saddled on the sideline is 16-year old Brianna McGovern, of Emmaus.
Born without a right arm or right leg, she is a member of the league's Yankees team. She likes to play shortstop mostly, perhaps as an homage to the captain of the Major League Baseball ball club of the same name.
She says she wants to stay involved with the league as she gets older. At the Miracle League, McGovern said, people look beyond kids' disabilities. On the field, they're just regular ballplayers.
"When you come here you're not treated differently," she said.