MIAMI (WSVN) - Marlins Park put on a touching tour for the visually impaired Wednesday.
Participants, ages 14 to 22, from the Miami Lighthouse for the Blind and Visually Impaired hit the field and toured the Marlins Park stadium for the annual “Touch Tour” transition program.
They also got to meet with some of the Marlins stars like catcher J.T. Realmuto. “This is our fifth year doing this, so it’s really — it’s pretty special for us to have these kids out here and be able to interact with them and hang out with them for a bit,” he said.
They also get a very hands-on experience. “It gets them exposed to the elements of Marlins Park,” said Alan Alvarez, Director of Marlins Foundation. “They get to walk on the grass, pick up the sand, hear the sound of the bat hitting the ball and touch a lot of different baseball equipment.”
The group was invited thanks to a partnership between the organization and the Marlins charity. “It’s an opportunity to invite the group back out for a game and they get to experience the game in a whole different type of way,” Alvarez said.
“They were laughing and having a great time,” said Virginia Jacko, President of the Miami Lighthouse for the Blind, “and for the Marlins to be so generous and have so many children here today, not only the Miami Lighthouse Children, but other children from summer camps, that’s community support.”
The organization wasn’t the only ones excited to open up the stadium for the day. “Its just an exciting day for them and they look forward to it every year,” Alvarez said.
Miami Lighthouse for the Blind has received over $50,000 in charitable donations from The Marlins.
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