Article content

A group trying to build Ottawa’s first baseball diamond and playground designed for children with special needs is competing for a prize of $100,000.

The Miracle League of Ottawa is asking people to vote for its project in the Kraft Celebration Tour competition. Mayor Jim Watson cast the first vote for the not-for-profit organization at 9 a.m. Monday, when the competition opened online.

We apologize, but this video has failed to load.

tap here to see other videos from our team. Try refreshing your browser, or Diamond dream: Miracle League of Ottawa asks for votes Back to video

“This tremendous community project will provide healthy recreation opportunities for local children with special needs,” Watson said, adding council has committed space at Notre Dame des Champs Park in Orléans, plus as much as $500,000 in funding.

The Ottawa project, with an overall cost of $1 million, is one of 10 finalists in the Kraft competition. So far, $700,000 has been raised. Construction could start in the spring of 2015 if funding is secured by the end of the year.

The city is opening voting stations, until the vote ends Tuesday night, at branches of the Ottawa Public Library: Cumberland, Greenboro, Hazeldean, Main, Nepean Centrepointe, Orléans and Ruth E. Dickinson. People can also vote at the information desk in the lobby of city hall.

A barbecue, where people can bring laptops or smartphones to vote, is also being held Monday from 4 p.m. to 9 p.m. at Notre Dame des Champs Park.

People can vote as many times as they’d like. “We’re asking people to vote 50 times for us; it will take about 10 minutes and will mean we’ll have a world-class facility for children with special needs in the nation’s capital,” said Rolly Desrochers, father of 11-year-old Bryce, who has cerebral palsy and who inspired the project.

cmills@ottawacitizen.com

twitter.com/CarysMills