BRAINTREE, Mass (MyFoxBoston.com) -- For eight Sundays during the summer in Braintree, kids that normally wouldn't get to play baseball get a chance to enjoy the game. It's the Braintree American Challenger Baseball League.
âThis league is for kids with special needs. It started 12 years ago with a lot of kids with autism and downs syndrome but now we take in kids with all kinds of disabilities. The league originally had two teams, now we have 140 kids from 27 different townsâ.
The inspiration behind this league is 22-year-old Richie Fennell. Richie has Asperger Syndrome. Twelve years ago his mother Lori came to the folks in Braintree urging them to start a league where her son and others like him could play baseball.
Richie has been involved ever since, and is now a coach.
âIt means a lot. I started out as a player now I'm a coach. I've loved it as a player and now as a coach. It's been a great experience all around,â he said.
There are numerous volunteers who help coach and work with the kids in this league.
Volunteer Morgan Wise put it best.
"We are really here to show them and to teach them but to be honest they teach us more," West said.
Coach and Volunteer Jim Regan said, "My son has down syndrome. They drafted me here, they needed a coach. What I get out of it? We lead the league in smiles!"
Kim Agostino and her son Josh sum up what this league is all about. "To have a son on the Autism spectrum and to have a special place for him to go play baseball just means the world to us."
"I'm amazing!" Josh said.
"You are amazing, Josh!" his mother Kim replied.