Page 100 - South Mississippi Living - December, 2024

SPORTS & OUTDOORS
story by Joey Lee
photos courtesy of Mississippi Gulf Coast Buddy Sports
Every person should have the chance to play sports and participate in leisure activities. Competing on a baseball team or reeling
in a redfish are experiences we should all have. Mississippi Gulf Coast Buddy Sports
is making sure all those opportunities are available to everyone.
This volunteer-run nonprofit has provided free sports and leisure opportunities for
people with special needs since 2010. What started as a Buddy Ball baseball program
has blossomed into an organization offering activities, from kickball and fishing to horseback riding and art classes.
“We do this so every child and adult can have a similar opportunity to participate
in sports and leisure activities like their siblings and neighbors do,” explained Mike Crawford, program president and parent of a special needs child. “Individuals with special needs want to get out and see their friends and participate in the community just like everybody else, they just have a more difficult time in doing so. We strive to help make that happen.”
100 | December 2024 www.smliving.net | SOUTH MISSISSIPPI Living