Marie Shea

Manager of Clinical Quality Assurance
AllWays Health Partners

PASSION:

Marie founded a baseball league for children with disabilities to address an unmet need and help kids play the sport they love. Marie was recognized by the Red Sox Foundation and her team’s next stop is the Little League World Series in August.

 

IMPACT:

As a board member of the Malden Little League, Marie recognized that many children with disabilities were experiencing challenges and quitting traditional teams. When her friend’s son with Autism quit his team, Marie knew she needed to act. Her solution was to start a Little League Challenger Division chapter for children with physical and intellectual disabilities in her community that’s free of charge, thanks to local sponsors. Marie has grown the program exponentially from the ground up into a thriving team on its way to the Little League World Series this summer.

After more than a decade of success, Marie’s chapter was selected out of hundreds of Challenger teams across the world to play in the 2019 Challenger Division Exhibition Game at the Little League World Series. This once-in-a-lifetime opportunity is the first time a Challenger team from Massachusetts will play at the World Series.

In 2015, the Red Sox Foundation honored Marie as its Little League Volunteer of the Year at Fenway Park. Despite all the recognition, Marie feels that her greatest accomplishment is providing children with disabilities an opportunity to be part of a team, playing the sport they love.