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Lions Club of Belleville adds scoreboard to Field of Ability

A new scoreboard paid for with a donation by the Belleville Lions Club now stands at the Field of Ability in Veterans’ Park in Belleville. It’s the latest feature of the playing field, a place for young people of all levels of physical ability to play baseball. Organizers hope to add basketball and other sports. Photo by Connor Robinson, QNet News

By Connor Robinson [1]

BELLEVILLE – The Field of Ability [2] has a new addition: a brand-new scoreboard.

The Lions Club [3] in Belleville raised money to pay for the scoreboard for the field. A giant cheque for $11,072.99 was presented by the club to Mayor Mitch Panciuk in a ceremony at the field in Veterans Park at noon Tuesday.

The Field of Ability was established to give young people with physical disabilities a place to excel in sports.

Jim Chanda, second vice-president of the club, said the money was raised through bingos, a car show and outdoor concerts that the club hosts.

Field 1

Members of the Belleville Lions Club and city council gathered at the Field of Ability Tuesday for the presentation of a giant cheque from the club to pay for the field’s new scoreboard. Photo by Connor Robinson, QNet News

“It’s a good cause. That’s what the Lions are all about – doing a lot of good work, because we’re a charity,” Chanda said.

The city says it hopes to open the sports field in June 2020.

“Once people see the smile on those kids’ faces while they’re running around, it’ll be great for Belleville,” said Larry Brown, president of the Lions Club.

Panciuk and other members of city council were at the field to accept the cheque on behalf of the city.

He thanked city staff and said that council is “very proud of this work. We still have more work to do here. The scoreboard is, I don’t want to say the icing on the cake, but it is certainly going to create a better experience for the kids using it.”

Veterans Park, where the Field of Ability is located, has other upgrades coming, including a new picnic shelter and washroom renovations.