FAIRFIELD – The Fairfield Challenger League hosted its first games of the season at the Jefferson County Little League ball diamonds Tuesday, April 30.

This is the first year the Challenger League has been able to field an adult team that is part of Jefferson County Little League. The league is an opportunity for both kids and adults with special needs to hit, field, throw and run the bases, all while making friends and having a good time.

The adult team played ball with local first responders such as members of the Fairfield Fire Department, Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office and Fairfield Police Department. In fact, the adult team will be playing with special guests all season long, with different businesses and organizations stepping forward to play each week.

The youth team will also get a chance to play with some of the best ballplayers around when FHS students play with them this Saturday.

Fairfield Fire Chief Brett Ferrel said he and the other first responders had a great time Tuesday, and that it was fun to be part of something new in the Challenger League.

“They asked us to do it, and we serve the community so we looked forward to doing it,” Ferrel said. “We just wanted to help out. We like to see them get excited playing ball. They were having a blast. We’ll do this anytime they ask us.”

Jefferson County Sheriff Bart Richmond said the sheriff’s office has helped the last few years with the Special Olympics’ basketball skills competition. He said law enforcement officers have been invited to participate in this summer’s Iowa Games.

“We participate across the whole state,” Richmond said. “It’s a great group, and all the volunteers do a great job.”

Janel Orgovanyi, one of the organizers of the Challenger League, said First Resources and Optimae used to host softball games for adults with special needs, and at one point the games drew as many as 60 people. She said it was great to be included in the Jefferson County Little League’s Challenger League this year for the first time.

The youth portion of the Challenger League started with six kids in 2019 and has grown to 15 kids. There are 12 adults in the Challenger League.

The youth Challenger League has two teams, but the adults only have one team. Orgovanyi said the adults cannot play the young kids because of liability issues, so that’s where organizers got the idea to involve local businesses and organizations in the league, so that a different group of adults would play with the adult Challengers each week of their seven-week schedule.

Lisa Phillips, another organizer of the Challenger League, said this will be a great way for members of the community to get to know the local adults with special needs.

“You’ll see them at the store and be able to say hi because you played with them on the field,” Phillips said. “That’s the goal of doing this, total inclusion.”

Orgovanyi said the organizers were pleased to include law enforcement and first responders in the opening game of the year because it’s especially helpful for them to get experience around those with special needs.

“The more we can get our special needs people to know the police department and sheriff’s office the better they’ll be, so if something happens, they’ll be able to recognize that person and know how to communicate with them,” Orgovanyi said.