However, the million-dollar match has a deadline of Dec. 31, and Nuxhall Foundation leaders are confident it can be met.
“Walt and his leadership of the Hatton Foundation are indeed taking us off the Hope Center launch pad,” said Kim Nuxhall, president and Nuxhall Foundation board chairman.
“This amazing grant, for which we are forever grateful, will have such a positive impact on our mission not just for years, but for many, many decades to come. That Hatton Foundation is helping us with an historic opportunity to do more good, and we won’t let them down.”
The Nuxhall Foundation supports the legacy projects of the late Joe Nuxhall, the Reds Hall of Fame pitcher and broadcaster and Butler County native. The organization is in the midst of its “Heading for Hope” capital campaign to fund The Hope Center. In total, the Nuxhall Foundation plans to raise $12 million for the project, with $10 million needed for construction and $2 million for a maintenance and operational endowment.
Credit: Matt Grimes
Credit: Matt Grimes
If the matching challenge from The Hatton Foundation is fully met, the Nuxhall Foundation campaign total would be at $6.3 million.
This is not the first time the Hatton Foundation has invested in the Nuxhall Foundation. In addition to annual sponsorships of the Miracle Ball, the Cincinnati-based foundation made a $500,000 lead gift in 2011 to support the construction of The Joe Nuxhall Miracle League Fields.
Since that first donation, the Miracle League has made thousands of lives more full and complete, Nuxhall said, adding, “That first gift from Walt and The Hatton Foundation is the primary reason we were able to build this dream.”
Now, The Nuxhall Foundation is on the cusp of being able to break ground on The Hope Center. Features of the center include:
- A new sports and events arena that will provide a permanent home for the Butler County Special Olympics.
- A multipurpose recreation room with accessible fitness equipment and play opportunities, including a wheelchair zipline and accessible ball pit.
- A community room with seating for more than 150 guests to host health and wellness programming.
- A fully equipped concession stand with workforce development opportunities for the special needs community.
- A permanent display called the Nuxhall Archives, which showcase Joe Nuxhall’s life and career as Cincinnati’s most beloved sports icon.
- The permanent headquarters for The Nuxhall Foundation.
Nuxhall Foundation Executive Director Tyler Bradshaw said this Hatton Foundation gift has given the organization “incredible momentum to turn plans on paper into a permanent place to belong for our special needs all-stars.”
“Their belief in our mission and the work we do encourages us to reach for big, bold dreams,” he said. “The Hope Center is a once-in-a-generation project that will transform the health and well-being of our entire community, turning the Joe Nuxhall Miracle League Fields into a world-class destination and gold standard in inclusive recreation.”
The Nuxhall Foundation is close to the fundraising threshold and hopes to break ground on The Hope Center in 2026.
“Over the years, our donors have stepped up to the plate at every important moment to move our mission forward,” Bradshaw said. “Now, we are in the midst of the greatest opportunity we’ve ever been given to bring this project home.”
THE NUXHALL FOUNDATION MATCHING GIFT
The Nuxhall Foundation will receive $1 million for its Hope Center from the Hatton Foundation, but donations need to be committed by Dec. 31.
The Hope Center is a 31,000-square-foot, year-round indoor recreational facility designed for athletes with physical and developmental disabilities.
Donations can be made online at nuxhallmiracleleague.org/donate; via mail at The Nuxhall Foundation, P.O. Box 18146, Fairfield, OH 45018; a Venmo @nuxhallfoundation.
Donors can also set up a three-year pledge at nuxhallmiracleleague.org/pledgehope or discuss giving by contacting Bradshaw at info@nuxhallmiracleleague.org
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