The Miracle League of Alexandria

“The Secret of the Legendary Tribe” by John Roache
(Some proceeds go to the MLA)

John Roache is a native Alexandrian who’s played, coached, and had children play in the Alexandria Department of Recreation, Parks and Cultural Activities’ Sports Program for many years under the leadership of Mac Slover.

In his book, John has written a middle grade adventure novel for kids 8-12 about disabled children in Alexandria, who go on an adventure in search of a lost Native American artifact that belonged to the Patawmeck tribe of Virginia.

Since the main characters are children with disabilities–two of whom are also members of the Patawomeck tribe–John intends to donate half of any of his proceeds to the Miracle League of Alexandria and to the tribe.

The MLA appreciates John for reaching out to them about his book and supports his efforts to sell it since some of the proceeds will benefit the MLA program and the tribe.

Below is the link to the book. Please support John and the MLA. The story is a great read!
http://www.belleislebooks.com/store/p202/The_Secret_of_the_Legendary_Tribe.html

Dr. Angela Austin has been recognized for the 10th time as one of Northern Virginia’s Top Pediatric Dentists. Dr. Austin issued this statement on her selection. “I am honored to be recognized as one of the Top Dentists in Northern Virginia. Being one of many amazing clinicians, I am thankful and know that it always takes a village. To dedicate a lifetime of caring for children is the most amazing life I could have ever dreamed of.

Each and every child that has entered my life has made it so much better. Thank you to every parent, child, caregiver who’s blessed our office with your presence. I’ll always be so grateful for your trust.

Thank you, Northern Virginia Magazine for this sweet recognition.” Dr. Austin is the proud sponsor of a Miracle League Alexandria player attending the National Miracle League All-Star Games each of the past three years. The MLA is proud of Dr. Austin’s recognition.

On Saturday, September 24, the Townsend Reese Memorial Pollinator Garden was dedicated in the memory of Townsend, who was a long-time parent and supporter of the Miracle League of Alexandria. Attending the dedication were his family members: Janet (wife), Emma (daughter), Andrew & Philip (sons) and members of the Miracle League Board and players, supporters and volunteers from the league. 

Townsend received a B.A. in Government and Politics from the University of Maryland in 1976. In 1983, he was awarded a B.S. in Engineering with a primary focus in Nuclear Engineering from the University of Maryland. Townsend participated in clean-up efforts at Three Mile Island and spent several years working at Nuclear Power Plants in Illinois, Miami and Huntsville, AL, before returning to the Washington area.   

Townsend joined the United States Patent and Trademark Office in 2013 as a Patent Examiner, a job he held until his death. He was proud to be a Civil Servant and often commented on how it allowed him to demonstrate his patriotism.  

Townsend was passionate about baseball. His grandfather had been a bat boy in the 1910’s for the old Washington Senators team and told him stories about baseball greats like Walter Johnson and Ty Cobb. Townsend was an ardent fan of the Orioles, Red Sox and Nationals. He supported the building of the Miracle League Field in Alexandria, delighted that it meant that baseball could be accessible to individuals of all abilities.  

In addition to his love of baseball, Townsend was also fascinated by space flight, dinosaurs, politics, history, and had an encyclopedic knowledge of each.   Most of all, Townsend will be remembered for his sweet nature, limitless patience, quirky sense of humor, and above all, his tremendous love of his family. Townsend and Janet have been proud supporters of the Miracle League of Alexandria since its inception in the spring of 2011.  Philip is one of our original players in the league and continues to play today. Townsend, Janet, Philip and the family were here for the beginning of our league, the dedication of the field in 2012 and could often be seen at the field supporting Philip during his games.   

Townsend’s friendly smile could always be seen when he came. He always asked how we were doing and if we needed anything. He told us that he was so thankful Philip had a place to be able to play baseball and that he could watch him play. He told me on several occasions he thought the Miracle League was something special and he appreciated us having the program.  

Mac Slover, Chair of the Miracle League stated, “Today, we honor Townsend’s memory with the dedication of the Townsend Reese Memorial Pollinator Garden here at the Kelley Cares Miracle Field. May the spirit of Townsend always be with his immediate family and his Miracle League family too. We love you Townsend!” 

Philip Reese, youth player in the Miracle League of Alexandria represented the City of Alexandria at 2022 National Miracle League All-Star games in Murfreesboro, Tennessee September 16 – 18. Philip was one of 120 participants from across the United States, Canada, Puerto Rico and Mexico.

The honored participants represented 250 chapters of the Miracle League who were nominated to play by their leagues. The Miracle League is a national program founded in 2000 in Atlanta, Georgia and has grown to over 300 teams from the United States, Canada, and Puerto Rico. The Alexandria program began in the spring of 2011 with the rubberized surface, Kelley Cares Miracle Field completed in November 2012. The Miracle League program is specifically for youth and adults with special needs to enjoy outdoor recreational opportunities and plays baseball in the spring and fall each year.

During the weekend of activities, Philip and his twin sister, Emma along with Miracle League of Alexandria coordinator, Mac Slover, (retired from the Alexandria Department of Recreation, Parks and Cultural Activities) and Chairman of the MLA and his girlfriend, Diane attended the games.

On Friday, the players and their families were welcomed to the hotel at check-in time as the players received their special all-star uniform, gamebags and special tickets for the weekend. Later that afternoon, they attended the special Miracle League mixer and Taste of Murfreesboro kick-off event that included recognition of the players and teams, food, music and much more. On Saturday, they held 10 all-star games and a concluded the day with a celebration awards dinner and program. Each of the participants was provided prizes, an all- star medal, and a special signed baseball by hometown, major league baseball player, David Price of the Los Angeles Dodgers.

The all-star game provided Philip and the other participants the opportunity to play the baseball games in a special atmosphere as their name was announced each time they came up to bat. Their picture and information were placed on the video scoreboard. There was play by play announcing and music.at the games. All the families and spectators cheered on each player loudly when they hit the ball, ran the bases and scored.

Mac Slover stated “After missing the last two years due to Covid, we were glad to be able to bring one of our players back to the all-star games. This weekend could have been any better, but Murfreesboro did an excellent job with its Miracle Field, the video scoreboard and its special sensory components in the complex like the water park and playground. For me, the most important of the weekend was seeing how excited Philip was being there and participating and making friends with other participants from other leagues.” More importantly, it was nice to be able to see Philip playing this wonderful game of baseball and experiencing this weekend. “I am just lucky I had the chance to be a part of it too and network with so many wonderful people there. It was about families supporting each other” Slover stated.

Philip’s team, the Orioles played a morning game in front of a packed field of spectators and received rounds of cheers throughout the game and many congratulations following it.

The 2023 National Miracle League All-Star Games will be in Palm Beach, Florida. Slover stated “we have already begun to plan for next year’s trip. The Alexandria Children’s Dentistry will once again provide a sponsorship donation to assist in paying for the entire family and MLA representative’s trip to the all-star games.

For information or to make a donation to the league, go to www.miracleleagueallstargame.com