HAMILTON TOWNSHIP, N.J. (KYW Newsradio) —- Residents in and around South Jersey have come together over the last few days to donate new equipment to a Camden County team for kids and adults with disabilities after they discovered theirs was stolen.
A few weeks ago, as officials of the Camden County New Jersey Miracle League were getting ready for the upcoming season, they opened their equipment shed in Cherry Hill to find it empty.
Arthur Aston, the league’s general manager, said he was shocked and in disbelief upon discovering the equipment was stolen.
“In 11 years, we’ve never had anything like this happen,” he said.
The league operates in the fall and spring, and Aston said he suspects the shed was robbed sometime this winter.
“We don’t usually visit the shed in the off-season, so we don’t know when everything was taken,” said Aston.
The Miracle League thankfully didn’t have to cancel any games for its child and adult players due to the theft, but they need a wide variety of bats to accommodate various disabilities
Officials kept the matter in-house at first, but a parent posted about the theft on Facebook, and then local high school teams, organizations, and other people in the area decided to chip in and donate replacement gear.
What was once such a negative situation for Aston has turned into a profoundly positive one.
“I can honestly say it has been a rollercoaster of emotion,” he said. “On the opposite side of that sadness and hurt has been some of the most humbling moments of my life.”
The league is collecting donations dropped off at the Camden County Parks Department Building, Palladino’s Market in Atco, and Innovative Fastpitch in Voorhees this weekend, and paying it forward by donating anything not needed to other leagues for children or adults with disabilities.