Will Norton Memorial Field receives significant donation

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January 27, 2012

By Kelsey Ryan Globe Staff Writer The Joplin Globe Fri Jan 27, 2012, 12:12 AM CST

JOPLIN, Mo. — Plans for the Will Norton Memorial Miracle Field, a field for children with disabilities, are taking shape with a major donation.

“We wanted to do something that would significantly impact the community for years to come,” said Jenny Hocker, Joplin Rotary task force chairwoman and past president of Daybreak Rotary.

Hocker said the idea for a Miracle Field in Joplin was inspired about four years ago, when she watched an HBO “Real Sports” broadcast about the first Miracle Field in Conyers, Ga.

“It was really weird,” she said. “I sat up on the couch, looked at my husband and told him, ‘I’m supposed to do that here.’”

$150,000 CHECK

Keller Williams Realty International’s charity, KW Cares, on Thursday presented a check for $150,000 to the Joplin Tornado Relief Fund that will be used to help build the field. The fund was created by the two Rotary Clubs in Joplin. Rotary also raised $358,000 for the project. The total cost for the field is estimated at $330,000. A playground, which also will be accessible to those with disabilities, will cost about $200,000.

Hocker said the Parks and Recreation Board has endorsed constructing the field at the Joplin Athletic Complex, and that her group is now waiting to meet with the Joplin City Council to complete plans.

The field’s namesake, Will Norton, died in the May 22 tornado on his way home from the Joplin High School graduation ceremony. Norton planned to study filmmaking. He was a member of the JHS Constitution Team, a tennis player and a private pilot.

Before the tornado, Hocker said, the Rotary group had planned to start work on the field in July. She said that not all fields are named in memory of people, but that Will Norton’s father, Mark Norton, is a member of Rotary and a Keller Williams agent, and the group wanted to do something to honor his son.

“We think it’s going to be a wonderful addition to Joplin,” Mark Norton said. “It’s going to help so many children with special needs, and it’s just a great thing. There’s over 200 Miracle Fields now in the U.S., and it’s been so well received.

“It’s just a real honor to have Will’s name associated with it. He was a young man that gave every day to others and such a compassionate young man, and I think he would be proud to have his name with something like this.”

Trish Norton, Will’s mother, said the family plans to play an active role in the building of the field.

“Some of these kids have never been on a team before,” she said. “If you can give that gift to a child, it’s worth it all right there. I love children. I had a preschool for about 15 years, and I love my children. They’re very dear to my heart.”

SPECIAL MATERIAL

The field, which will be made out of specially designed rubber turf, will have a smooth surface to keep children safe. Hocker said the field will require little maintenance, and that several sports can be played there.

Hocker said that once the field and playground are built, Rotary will plan fundraisers and sponsorships for the league to sustain it.

“Statistics show that in the Joplin, Webb City and Carl Junction school districts, there are 1,800 students with special needs,” she said. “If you cast the net a little bit wider and include Carthage and Miami, the number rises to 4,500 kids.”

With the league, Hocker said, children would be assigned buddies who would help them play the games throughout the season.

“The buddy will be someone to encourage them to help them play the game and create an independent impact on the kids,” Hocker said.

By the numbers

The Miracle League’s website, www.miracleleague.com, reports that there are more than 240 Miracle League organizations in the U.S., Puerto Rico, Canada and Australia that serve more than 200,000 children and young adults with disabilities.

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