Toms River Field Of Dreams Gets $400K From NJ

TOMS RIVER, NJ — Construction is underway at the Toms River Field of Dreams site, and on Friday, the organization got confirmation that the final financial piece needed was in place, when the state Legislature approved the $46.4 billion budget that includes $400,000 for the special needs recreational facility.

Construction of the facility was supposed to start in March 2020 on the RWJ Barnabas Health Toms River Field of Dreams, but the coronavirus pandemic disrupted those plans.

The effects of the pandemic caused two major construction companies, which had planned to donate time and labor to the project, to pull out of the project. That left Christian Kane, who along with his wife, Mary, dreamed and have fought to achieve their dream of this facility, with a $900,000 hole in the project's budget that had been settled months earlier through fundraising.

A new company stepped up and offered to donate its time and services to help, filling a large chunk of the hole, but the project was still shy of its goal.

In February, Toms River officials reached out to Gov. Phil Murphy's office to seek support for the project, which will create a facility that allows those with special needs to participate in sports and other activities. Murphy put $400,000 in his proposed budget, and Murphy and the state Legislature finalized that promise on Friday.

NJ Site & Utility Contractors of Jackson has been doing grading, gas and water lines, concrete and adding crushed stone where it's needed. NJ Site & Utilities also did the initial clearing of the site.

Kane has begun posting videos showing the construction progress; they can be seen on the Toms River Field of Dreams website.

Kane said they are planning the grand opening for Oct. 2.

The Field of Dreams is four years in the making. Kane set out in May 2017 to create a place where his son, Gavin, and other children with special needs could have fun. Initial plans were modest: a baseball field that was accessible for wheelchairs for two-inning games. A snack stand. A playground and some miniature golf.

When it opens in October, it will include those items and much more: a walking path with rehabilitative stations; courts for bocce, basketball and shuffleboard; a quiet corner for people to sit and relax, and a temperature-controlled pavilion.

"It's for everyone to feel typical," Kane said in a video about the project in May 2017, as fundraising efforts were just getting started. Whether it's children recovering from cancer treatments, adults with cerebral palsy who want to take part in fun activities, or people who are looking for a place to relax, it's for everyone "to play, to be a part of the community."

Kane, who is a math teacher at Toms River North, was inspired to try to create a place that offers special needs children a unique experience after watching his older son playing Little League baseball and realizing Toms River did not have a baseball field for special needs children like his son, Gavin.

Gavin suffered a head injury in a July 2012 crash on Bey Lea Road. Kane was driving a van with Gavin in a child safety seat in the back seat when they were rear-ended by a delivery truck.

"Our hope is to increase awareness of our special needs community and provide an inclusive environment in which all can play and interact together," the Field of Dreams website says.

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