It’s time to take the field in Appleton as Angela Fitzgerald joins the Miracle League of the Fox Valley, a program offering kids with disabilities the opportunity to play baseball. We talk with a player and his dad to find out why the program is so special. We also share the stories of other people doing extraordinary things.
First up to bat is Nitesh Singh and Rakesh Cherukuri with their passion for cricket. For these men cricket is more than a sport, it provides a sense of camaraderie and community. Coming from Mumbai, Singh found the sport as a way to make friends and foster a community. The sport has grown in popularity across Wisconsin with the league these men participate in having grown to over 20 teams.
Next, we move from the cricket field to the cranberry bogs of Pittsville where Lindsay Meissner teaches a one-of-a-kind high school class. The class teaches high schoolers all the ins and outs of cranberry farming as well as the science behind current growing practices. The students also lead the “Splash of Cranberry Tour”, using their class room experience to provide people with a direct encounter with Wisconsin’s cranberry industry.
Going from berries to bread, we find Mo Cheeks kneading and baking his way to racial justice. Cheeks is a former Madison politician who found a new way to support a cause he believes in during the pandemic. Cheeks started a micro-bakery in his home kitchen mixing a dash of joy with activism called Bread and Justice. Along with his micro-bakery, Cheeks started a Bread and Justice newsletter sharing stories and details about his bake sales. 100-percnet of his proceeds are donated to non-profits fighting for racial justice.
Finally, we explore the storied history of the Packers with Cliff Christl. Being a newspaper reporter has been Cliff Christl’s lifelong passion. He spent nearly 40 years in the newspaper business and nearly all of those years writing about the Green Bay Packers. After decades of writing about the Packers, he was offered a once in a lifetime opportunity. He was offered a position by the Packers and wrote the book on the definitive Packers history.
