Our Story

Hello. We are the Maher Brothers, Michael and TJ. We are collaborating to make a documentary tentatively titled The Buddy League.

The Buddy League Documentary is a look inside of a Special Needs baseball league in Garland, Texas. The documentary will focus on the leagues founding family, the Millers. The film will also incorporate the story of a first time player, and the league itself.

Their Story

Ben Miller was born a healthy boy in 1991. Following his first immunizations at three months, Ben began having seizures.  By age three, he underwent seizure surgery. The surgery failed to stop the seizures, and Ben was left with right side partial paralysis and speech impairment.

Growing up, Ben always had a passion for baseball. Until the age of 11, Ben was allowed to play little league baseball with his three brothers. He would be informed that the league he played in would no longer make modifications for Ben to play. Ben was devastated.

In the fall of 2002, The Buddy League was founded. The league was started for Ben, but as weeks went by, more children came forward. The League was opened to children with any type of impairment, physical or mental. The inaugural season was composed of 10 children. The 2011 season opens with over 120 children on 8 teams. 

Peer Volunteers are essential to the leagues success. Volunteers learn by witnessing and assisting players. They see what love and true friendship are all about. They understand that children with disabling conditions have many of the same needs as everyone else. They need to be loved, accepted, appreciated, encouraged, have friends, and have fun.

There have been no major promotions or advertisements for the league. It has simply grown by word of mouth throughout Garland and neighboring communities. Some children travel as far as an hour away to participate in the games. The League is currently in negotiations to extend into neighboring counties.

The Buddy League has never been just about baseball. It is about building an accepting community. It is about changing perspectives. It is about eliminating stereotypes and eliminating fear.

The Impact

The goal of this project is to not only create a documentary, but to raise awareness about The Buddy League and the lack of activities for children with special needs.

After the films release, we intend to sell DVDs with the intention of donating a percentage back to the League.

This project is about much more than money. This is a testament of what happens when people come together to help others. Together, people can truly make a difference in the world. Just ask Ben Miller.

Documentary Donations

We are currently raising funds to help make this documentary a reality. The film to date has been totally funded by the Maher brothers. In our current financial situation, we are unable to meet the needs of this film. Your donations will help us with equipment, assistant operators, licensing fees, film festival fees, printing costs, gas, etc.

After much research, we have determined that we need to raise a minimum of $5000 to make and distribute a quality documentary. Of course if we raise more, we will be able to do more. We have set this goal with the intention of surpassing it. By meeting/surpassing our goal, a minimum fee will be charged by indiegogo.com as opposed to a larger fee by failing to meet our goal.

Other Ways You Can Help

Spread the word. We need your help. Please forward a link to this project to all of your friends and family. 

You can keep up with our progress by "Like"-ing The Buddy League on Facebook and Following on Twitter. Suggest this to your friends list and help us reach our goal. 

Additional Credits

Art Director - Jeff Rogers
frogers.net

Musician - Dillon Chevalier
dillonchevalier.com

Musician - Nicholas Altobelli
nicholasaltobelli.com

Musician - Bravo, Max!
dogslight.com

Musician - Dylan Sneed
dylansneed.com