A Field Of Dreams Becomes Reality In Toms River

TOMS RIVER, NJ — Christian Kane paused for a moment. "Listen," he said to the group touring the progress at the Toms River Field of Dreams complex.

From the playground just a short distance away came squeals and laughter, the sounds of joy from kids experiencing the sensation of a zipline and swinging on swings.

"Five years," Kane said. "That is what it is all about."

Kane, a math teacher at Toms River High School North, has spent the last five years working to bring his dream of a recreation facility that accommodates children with special needs and their families to reality.

At noon Saturday, Kane and his wife, Mary, and son Gavin will welcome the community to the Toms River Field of Dreams for the first time. What started with a father's dream to provide his son with the chance to play baseball has become a complex that takes recreation to a new level for families with special needs children.

The facility is designed for families to come and stay for several hours, instead of having to leave for any of the many reasons that affect families now. From restrooms to accommodate older children and adults who need assistance to charging stations for electric wheelchairs and surfaces that accommodate children of all abilities.

The project hit multiple snags along the way, most recently seeing the impact of inflation that resulted in expenses for materials significantly outstripping promised financing.

"We are about $200,000 short," Kane said during the early April tour for members of the Toms River Regional Schools' administration.

In addition to soliciting donations, Kane said he will be tracking organizations that use the facilities for a variety of reasons, with the goal of tracking the number of people using it to apply for grants that will be used for maintenance and other aspects of the facility.

The facility is on North Bay Avenue, next to Toms River's Youth Services office and Bay Lea Park.