he Twin City Titans and members of the NIU football team came together Sunday, creating a memorable experience.

The Titans are a local sports league for children with disabilities. For almost two years, the Titans, headed by Chris Sparks, have offered numerous, unique opportunities for children to experience aspects of the sporting world.

“My vision was just to have a baseball league,” Sparks said. “But that did so well that we decided to turn it into a sports league.”

Sparks, who does not have a child in the league, said his motivation came from his work.

“I’m a nurse, and through working with a couple of kids, I came up with the idea,” Sparks said. “I always wanted to do something. Out here, I felt there was a need for a cooperative league like this.”

Sparks’ efforts have resulted in 44 children participating in the Titans. The Titans offer various sports, such as softball, basketball, bowling, floor hockey and soccer.

Sandy Stiles, whose son J.J. took part in the scrimmage versus NIU football players, said Sparks’ innovative mind has created a league that makes everyone involved a winner.

“Chris is great at adapting to all sports with these kids,” Stiles said. “My son’s smiling from ear to ear and is loving every minute.”

Stiles said that with this league, the kids are given the ability to see the action firsthand, rather than always having to sit on the sidelines.

“The kids would talk about their experiences for days,” Stiles said. “Not only that, but parents would talk about it and through that would create friendships.”

The feeling of excitement and satisfaction also is felt by the athletes involved with the events. NIU running back Thomas Hammock took part in the events and said the experience for him was extremely rewarding.

“It’s always good to help the kids,” Hammock said. “It feels good to give back to the community.”

Heather Heavey, senior special education major and member of Sigma Lambda Sigma, said the community involvement her sorority prides itself in always is an enjoyable experience.

“We do a lot of things around DeKalb with Hope Haven, the homeless shelter and this,” Heavey said. “It’s a lot of fun and always gives us a great feeling of service to the community.”

Sparks highlighted a few upcoming Titans events; two include floor hockey with Sigma Lamba Sigma and possibly basketball with some players at the Convocation Center. Sparks emphasized, though, that through community efforts such as this one, the need for more contributions from around the area are important to the longevity of the Titans league.

“If anybody wants to help out, fraternities, sororities and service organizations, please, give me a call,” Sparks said. “I like to involve all varieties of people and groups from around the community.”

For information, call Chris Sparks at 899-3827