Adaptive baseball team from Medford goes to Little League World Series

Marie Shea, Manager of Clinical Quality Assurance at AllWays Health Partners,  founded a baseball league for children with physical and intellectual disabilities to address an unmet need in her community and help kids play a sport they love. 

Marie founded the Challenger League team in 2015. The Little League Challenger Division is an adaptive baseball program for individuals with physical and intellectual challenges.  

Recognition in the community
Since 2011, Marie has received attention for her inclusive volunteer work with stories in the Boston Globe, on Channel 7 news, and in other outlets. She also won a Volunteer of the Year award from the Red Sox Foundation in 2015.

Most recently, Marie was recognized at The Ad Club's 23rd Annual Rosoff Awards ceremony on May 20. Named for Arnold Rosoff, founder of Arnold Worldwide, the prestigious awards pay tribute to his mission to change the face of the corporate workplace by focusing on diversity and inclusion not only at his ad agency, but across New England.

Little League World Series
This summer, Marie's team is hitting an impressive new milestone. On Saturday, August 24, they will play a Challenger Division team from Peterborough, Ontario at the Little League World Series. Each year, two local Challenger Division teams play an exhibition game at Volunteer Stadium. 2019 will mark the first time a Massachusetts team has been selected for this once-in-a-lifetime experience. 

You can read Marie's inspiring story on the Rosoff Award website.