WATERFORD, Mich. — A Waterford woman’s effort to restore a historic baseball field behind her home has done more than create a new place for young athletes to play.
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The yearlong project also led to an unexpected friendship with an Arkansas family and inspired plans for an Alzheimer's disease fundraiser that organizers hope will eventually become part of a nationwide effort.
“I can’t believe that we pulled it off, that we got this done and now we can play games here,” Belliotti said.
Katie Belliotti recently completed the restoration of Freehan Field, a historic ballfield dating back to 1972 that sits directly behind her Waterford home.
With help from community members, the former college softball player transformed the baseball field into a functional softball facility for her travel team, the Lady Outlaws.
The restoration included removing the pitcher’s mound, repairing the scoreboard, bringing in new infield dirt and installing an extended backstop before the field hosted its first game.
Players say the completed field has already become a special place for the team.
“It kind of feels like it’s less pressure and it’s just more fun,” said Lady Outlaws player Ruby Sieser.
“It felt really good that the field was finally finished,” added teammate Addison Boumansour.
As Belliotti shared updates about the project on social media, her posts caught the attention of Sam Perroni, an Arkansas man who built a backyard baseball field of his own.
Perroni reached out to the Belliotti family with an idea: use the newly restored field to help raise awareness and money for Alzheimer’s research.
“When my wife passed away, I told everyone at the funeral that I was going to start a foundation called the Patricia Ann Perroni Field of Dreams Foundation with the mission of establishing a Field of Dreams Tournament in every state,” Perroni said.
Perroni created the foundation after caring for his wife during her battle with Alzheimer’s disease. What began as a small fundraising effort has grown steadily. He said his first tournament raised about $1,500, while this past summer’s event generated more than $50,000 for the cause.
After visiting Perroni’s field in Arkansas, Belliotti said she was inspired to bring the concept to Michigan.
“He was like, ‘Hey, want to come out to Arkansas and our field to see how we do it?’” Belliotti said. “Me and my husband were like, ‘Sure!' So he flew us out there, and it was amazing."
The Waterford field is now expected to host an Alzheimer’s fundraiser next summer. Perroni also presented the Belliotti family with a plaque and a $2,500 donation in recognition of their involvement.
For Belliotti, the cause is personal.
“My grandmother passed away from Alzheimer’s, and Bill Freehan, who this field is named after, had dementia and possibly Alzheimer’s,” she said. “It all kind of hits home, and this is a cause we want to get behind.”
What started as a backyard restoration project has evolved into something much larger: a partnership connecting two families hundreds of miles apart and a shared goal of raising awareness for a disease that affects millions of people.
