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A Beautiful Sports Program for Kids With Disabilities

By John DeSanto, Record Online, 05/29/19, 12:00PM PDT

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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.

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.”