401 A League of Our Own was founded by Nina Fiasconaro who ran The Miracle League of Westchester, New York, for eight years before permanently moving to Rhode Island. She tried to find a league that could accommodate her son’s special needs since he was in a wheelchair and could not talk. However, she was unsuccessful since he could not run the bases independently.

She decided to form 401 A League of Our Own, saying ‘I can’t be the only special needs mom who would want a league like this.’ At the time of the league’s inception, Fiasconaro’s son was attending Meeting Street School which she approached about getting involved. The school backed her up and created a club of Meeting Street and works as the league’s fiscal agent.

This is a unified team where special needs children can play with their typical siblings and buddies. The dads are out on the field with their kids and family members in the bleachers.

Now that opening ceremonies have begun, Buddy Ball will be held at Flander’s Park, located on Sherman Road; every Saturday until the end of June, they will play between 2 p.m. and 3:30 p.m. For more information, contact 914-5227-7126. (Herald photo by Steve Popiel)