May 27, 2019 at 05:44AM
The sky is a brilliant blue as Kenneth Grunenberg is wheeled into the batter's box at Daniel Fratto Memorial field at Wickham Woodlands Park in the Town of Warwick.
He swings once and misses the ball. He swings again and it's a foul tip. On his third swing, he makes solid contact and the ball leaps off his bat. His sister Emma pushes him around the bases - smiles all around and high-fives at third base - and then across home plate.
Home run!
Welcome to the world of Beautiful People, whose slogan is "Adaptive Sports for Children With Disabilities."
"It's been so gratifying," says Jeremy Zweig, a board member. "Beautiful People started as a small group, trying to create a supportive environment for differently abled children who wanted to play sports but didn't fit into the programs that were available at the time."
The group unveiled its new fully-accessible safe-surface baseball field last May and just this past weekend dedicated an "All-Star Walkway" with paving bricks engraved with names of purchasers.
"What we've become over the years is this incredible community where kids play a variety of sports all year, and develop amazing connections with their peers and our fantastic volunteers," Zweig says. "Our goal is to make sure that everyone involved – especially the parents and athletes – feel like they belong."
Beautiful People, founded by local businessman Peter Ladka in 2007, provides programs in baseball, soccer, basketball and cheerleading for children 5 years of age and up. Ladka is the owner of GeekHive, a marketing technology partner for digital agencies.
The program began as the Orange County chapter of the Miracle League, a national youth baseball organization, and expanded into other sports shortly afterwards. Each child is paired with a teen or adult - "buddy" - to help as needed. Approximately 200 families are involved in the program.
Back on the field, Kenneth - who is 7 and lives in Goshen with his mom and dad, Amanda and Keith, his brother, Keith Jr., and his sister, Emma - is soaking up his moment in the sun. His mom and his dog, Elsa, come over and everyone gathers around to congratulate him.
Around him is a whirlwind of activity as athletes and buddies, coaches and officials move around the field.
Kenneth has multiple disabilities: He is blind in his right eye and confined to a wheelchair because his muscles are too weak for him to walk. He's a baseball fan. His jersey reads Red Sox across the chest, his favorite team is the New York Yankees and his favorite player is Aaron Judge.
Speaking of the Yankees, a small group of Beautiful People athletes and parents will be taking part in the 10th annual HOPE (Helping Others Persevere and Excel) week, making an on-field appearance on June 17 at Yankee Stadium.
Kenneth and his parents and the Fratto family, whose son is the namesake of the new facility, will represent Beautiful People during an on-field presentation.
Find out more at beautiful-people.us.
John DeSanto is a freelance photojournalist. Find more of his 845LIFE stories, photos and videos at recordonline.com. Reach John at jjdesanto@gmail.com
The sky is a brilliant blue as Kenneth Grunenberg is wheeled into the batter's box at Daniel Fratto Memorial field at Wickham Woodlands Park in the Town of Warwick.
He swings once and misses the ball. He swings again and it's a foul tip. On his third swing, he makes solid contact and the ball leaps off his bat. His sister Emma pushes him around the bases - smiles all around and high-fives at third base - and then across home plate.
Home run!
Welcome to the world of Beautiful People, whose slogan is "Adaptive Sports for Children With Disabilities."
"It's been so gratifying," says Jeremy Zweig, a board member. "Beautiful People started as a small group, trying to create a supportive environment for differently abled children who wanted to play sports but didn't fit into the programs that were available at the time."
The group unveiled its new fully-accessible safe-surface baseball field last May and just this past weekend dedicated an "All-Star Walkway" with paving bricks engraved with names of purchasers.
"What we've become over the years is this incredible community where kids play a variety of sports all year, and develop amazing connections with their peers and our fantastic volunteers," Zweig says. "Our goal is to make sure that everyone involved – especially the parents and athletes – feel like they belong."
Beautiful People, founded by local businessman Peter Ladka in 2007, provides programs in baseball, soccer, basketball and cheerleading for children 5 years of age and up. Ladka is the owner of GeekHive, a marketing technology partner for digital agencies.
The program began as the Orange County chapter of the Miracle League, a national youth baseball organization, and expanded into other sports shortly afterwards. Each child is paired with a teen or adult - "buddy" - to help as needed. Approximately 200 families are involved in the program.
Back on the field, Kenneth - who is 7 and lives in Goshen with his mom and dad, Amanda and Keith, his brother, Keith Jr., and his sister, Emma - is soaking up his moment in the sun. His mom and his dog, Elsa, come over and everyone gathers around to congratulate him.
Around him is a whirlwind of activity as athletes and buddies, coaches and officials move around the field.
Kenneth has multiple disabilities: He is blind in his right eye and confined to a wheelchair because his muscles are too weak for him to walk. He's a baseball fan. His jersey reads Red Sox across the chest, his favorite team is the New York Yankees and his favorite player is Aaron Judge.
Speaking of the Yankees, a small group of Beautiful People athletes and parents will be taking part in the 10th annual HOPE (Helping Others Persevere and Excel) week, making an on-field appearance on June 17 at Yankee Stadium.
Kenneth and his parents and the Fratto family, whose son is the namesake of the new facility, will represent Beautiful People during an on-field presentation.
Find out more at beautiful-people.us.
John DeSanto is a freelance photojournalist. Find more of his 845LIFE stories, photos and videos at recordonline.com. Reach John at jjdesanto@gmail.com