Toms River Field Of Dreams Construction Getting Underway

TOMS RIVER, NJ — A project that started with an idea just a few years ago to create a place where children with special needs could play baseball is coming to fruition: Construction is beginning at the Toms River Field of Dreams.

Christian Kane, who along with his wife, Mary, have been the driving force behind creating the unique recreation facility, said recently that all the necessary permits are in place at last to build the facility on North Bay Avenue, next to the Toms River Youth Services building.

Trees were cleared on the property a year ago by NJ Site & Utility Contractors of Jackson, which donated its time and equipment to do the work. That happened not long after then-Toms River Mayor Thomas Kelaher and Kane signed the lease agreement for $1 per year for Toms River Field of Dreams to lease the parcel from the township.

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.

The Kanes' efforts to create the facility began in early 2017, and have blossomed quickly. The plans include a state-of-the-art all-inclusive playground, a baseball field and courts for basketball, bocce and shuffleboard. Also planned is a mini golf course, a walking path with rehabilitative fitness stations along its length, a temperature-controlled pavilion, a quiet corner, and a complimentary snack shack, according to the project website.

Fundraising to build the facility and to maintain it is ongoing. A casino night is scheduled for April 25 at the Spring Lake Manor. It runs from 6 p.m. to 10 p.m. and includes food, an open bar, a gift auction and a silent auction.

In addition, the group will be honoring Kelaher for his support for the project with a Founder's Award. In addition, Farro's Tees and KB Technical will be honored with community business leader awards.

Tickets to casino night are $125 per person and include $50 in casino chips.

"The township and the county have been so helpful," Kane said in an interview with 105.7 The Hawk, where he announced the start of construction. "There's so many people who need this who've been asking about it."

Now the answer is construction is underway.

"After the completion of the complex, 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 organization's website says.

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