Pictured: Ali and Pat Tigges with their Humanitarians of the Year Award at the Carroll Chamber of Commerce Annual Banquet in March
The Carroll couple, who was the driving force behind the all-inclusive Kellan’s Kingdom playground and Miracle League ballfield in Northeast Park, was recently recognized by the Robert D. and Billie Ray Center AT Drake University as an honorable mention for the 2023 Iowa Character Awards. Seven years ago, Pat and Ali Tigges wanted to find a place for their children, including their son Kellan, who was born with a condition similar to cerebral palsy, to play in a park accessible to people of all ability levels. They say it seemed like a nearly insurmountable task when they first set out almost a decade ago, but the community rallied behind the idea from the onset.
The all-inclusive playground opened just before Labor Day Weekend in 2019. The couple and their many supporters in the community saw the momentum for this type of project and started the push for a Miracle Field, which makes it easier for kids of all ability levels to join in America’s pastime. The Tiggeses’ model has inspired other Iowa communities to pursue their own all-inclusive playgrounds.
They stress none of it would have been possible without the outpouring of support, be it through donations of time, money, or labor. Pat and Ali say they hope to have the new bathrooms and concession stand operational by this all, but they aren’t stopping there.
Their efforts with Kellan’s Kingdom and the Miracle League ballfield were formally recognized during the 2023 Carroll Chamber of Commerce Banquet with the Humanitarian of the Year Award, which helped lead to their recognition by the Iowa Character Awards Selection Committee. The Tiggeses will be honored during the Character Award Dinner in Des Moines on Friday, July 28.
