In its 18th year of existence, the Dream Catchers Baseball League is still making an impact in Minot and beyond.

The league is designed to allow people with special needs to continue to participate in America’s pastime. The league features three teams with one for small children, one for teenagers and one for adults. Participating players range in age from 5-32.

Meanwhile, the league’s founder, Michelle Bliven, says she started the grassroots baseball organization so that her son Aaron could continue playing the game he loved. Diagnosed with cerebral palsy at birth and bound to a wheelchair, safety concerns did not allow Aaron to continue playing baseball beyond the tee ball level. Nearly two decades since his mother has established the baseball league, Aaron, now 29, still participates. League games are usually played on the ballfield adjacent to the South Hill Softball Complex.

The Dream Catchers have grown from 13 players in its inaugural season to 70 today. Players from Minot, Lansford, Williston, Garrison and Towner all play together in the league. As Bliven states, she never thought the league would have expanded to include players outside the immediate local area.

“It just goes to show that there is a need for a league like this in the community, we have people from all over coming to play here,” Bliven tells The Minot Daily News. “We don’t charge anybody to participate, and we don’t really care who wins. Being a part of this league really teaches the rest of us to appreciate life and the things we often take for granted.”

In order to sustain the league financially, the Dream Catchers enlist the help of other community members in the Minot area. During the past spring season, the Class A state champion Minot Majettes varsity soccer club raised $250 for the Dream Catchers. In its first year of fundraising, the Majettes designed and sold Dream Catcher t-shirts while also donating all its proceeds to the organization.

Not only donating funds, the Majettes also have helped out on the diamond as well. On July 8, the soccer standouts served as “baseball buddies” for the league’s activities. The duties of a baseball buddy include helping players run the bases and retrieving foul balls. Players who represent the men’s Frontier Premier Soccer League of the Minot Soccer Association also were willing to lend a hand during league play. In the past, other baseball buddies have been recruited from Bishop Ryan High School, Our Redeemer’s Christian School, and Minot State University.

As for her long-term expectations of this organization, Bliven says she simply wants to keep playing games on the field for as long as possible.

“You really can’t describe what it is like to be a part of this until you actually go to one of our games. It’s a wonderful chance to enjoy a team experience and I just hope to keep it running and see this league continue on,” she adds.