The Miracle League of Covington County, with the help of the local FOP lodge, is preparing to participate in next month’s Alabama State games in Huntsville.

“I want to give you this check on behalf of the FOP lodge,” Thomas Hugghins said to the City of Andalusia’s Andy Wiggins. “This is for the Miracle League. We want to pay for your meals in Huntsville, these jerseys and the T-shirt that comes with it. It’s a total of about $2,000.”

Wiggins said the city is thankful for the donation.

“On behalf of the City of Andalusia, Mayor Johnson and the council, I would like to thank the FOP for the contribution to these fine athletes who are going to get a chance to go to Huntsville,” Wiggins said. “I would like to thank Jill Ainsworth for everything that she does as the president of the Miracle League of Covington County. I also want to thank all these parents that give these fine athletes the opportunity to participate.”

Covington County Sheriff Blake Turman was also a big part in the donation.

“I challenge anyone to come out here and watch these guys play and just receive a blessing,” Sheriff Turman said. “They have a lot of good fun and they will even let you participate.”

This will be the fourth year that the Miracle League of Covington County has played in the Alabama State games.

“It will be June 7, 8 and 9th so it’s a three-day trip,” Ainsworth said. “We will stay there two nights. We will play games and there is an opening ceremony. It’s an Olympic style ceremony. We will eat dinner and everybody will participate together.”

Ainsworth said that participants always enjoy the trip. With the help of donations like the FOP and other fundraisers, the trip is fully paid for the participants.

“It’s amazing,” Ainsworth said. “It’s an opportunity that most of the parents aren’t able to give the kids throughout the year. It’s a vacation for them. Then they get to play baseball, get to do what they like, they get to swim and hang out with their friends. We all stay in the same hotel. Everybody eats together. The city paid for a charter bus for us to all to ride together. A lot of these families don’t have these opportunities otherwise so people like FOP paying for it and then we do fundraisers throughout the year. It’s a complete expense paid trip. The parents don’t pay for a thing.”