TOWN OF DEWITT – Plans for the expansion of DeWitt’s Carrier Park were announced as part of Syracuse Challenger Baseball’s opening day ceremony on June 6.
The festivities that evening began with welcoming remarks from Dom Cambareri, who has been the volunteer executive director of the local Challenger Baseball program for the last 21 years, watching it become the largest special needs Little League Challenger division in the country.
Behind the onstage podium, Cambareri shared that the campaign has kicked off to raise $5 million for what he said will be the “crown jewel” of the park: a six-diamond “superfield” with two jumbotron scoreboards. That section of the “Field of Dreams” in East Syracuse will be a fully integrated site fit for Special Olympics events and baseball, softball, basketball, and soccer games and tournaments.
He said the construction effort will be bolstered by private donations from the local Lobdell and Lally families, who donated $125,000 and $100,000 respectively.
“Syracuse Challenger Baseball embraces children and adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities ranging from autism spectrum disorder to cerebral palsy, muscular dystrophy, hearing and visual impairments, and emotional challenges,” said Vinny Lobdell, who spoke as the messenger for his family that day. “Every player, regardless of their abilities, comes together on this Field of Dreams to hit, run, throw, catch and score with their peers and friends. We’ve witnessed firsthand the extraordinary impact the league has on the lives of these incredible individuals.”
Lodbell said the new superfield will be a space where special needs and able-bodied athletes can “come together in the spirit of sportsmanship and unity.”
At the opening day ceremony, Cambareri also talked about the inception of the accessible athletic complex and the road that led to that “novel” development.
“Twenty years ago, my friends, the Challenger Baseball players had no baseball fields of their own,” Cambareri said. “Most field sites were often not available, and they were difficult to access or navigate by many of our players with physical impairments. The terms ‘unified’ and ‘inclusive sports’ simply did not exist.”
He said that after three years of “exhaustive efforts” in search of a community partner that would help bring his dream recreational facility to fruition, his friend and DeWitt Town Supervisor Ed Michalenko accepted the challenge on behalf of the municipality 13 years ago.
During his time at the podium, Michalenko gave nods to the organizations that put together the opening day celebration, and he thanked Carrier Corporation for its “gracious donation” of Willis Carrier Park to the Town of DeWitt.
“Carrier is currently processing an additional land transfer that will be used to expand our parking lot to the north in the near future,” Michalenko further said.
That evening, program directors for Syracuse Challenger Baseball Dee Perkins and Jennifer Savastino introduced the players and coaches selected to make up the roster playing in the Challenger Baseball division of this summer’s Little League World Series in Williamsport, Pennsylvania.
The ceremony also featured Kayla McKeon, a former Challenger player and the co-creator of Mattel’s first Barbie with Down syndrome, as its keynote speaker.
Beforehand, Barenaked Ladies founding member and Canadian Music Hall of Fame inductee Steven Page performed the national anthem, and there were video messages sent in by sportscaster Dick Vitale, former New York Mets center fielder Mookie Wilson, New York Yankees manager Aaron Boone and YES Network play-by-play broadcaster Michael Kay to extend best wishes for the Challenger program and the park.