The 30th Annual Recovery Cup took place on Saturday, August 19th at Centennial Park in Manotick. Despite the forecasted rain, the weather was bright and sunny as eight teams representing the Ottawa Police Service, Ottawa Firefighters, and other emergency services came together to enjoy a day of softball in support of Harvest House. Together we raised almost $200,000, which will directly support the men of Harvest House as they recover from substance abuse.
For the first time since 1989, a Harvest House team brought home the trophy with a dramatic ‘come from behind’ victory over the RCMP team. Eugenio Matos hit a grand slam in the bottom of the 6th to bring the HH Ringers back into the game and Chris Laffin hit a walk-off three run homer in the bottom of the seventh to secure the 15-12 victory and cap a wonderful day of softball. The tournament MVP award was shared by a brother and sister combo, Danielle and Dominic Plaschy, whose defensive effort on the right side of the infield and strong bats carried the Ringers team.
After weeks of practice, the residents of Harvest House also fielded a team and faced stiff competition in both their games. Despite a couple unfavourable judgements on the scoreboard, the residents enjoyed a great day complete with a BBQ lunch. Community events such as these can be an important step forward in residents’ recovery as they learn to have fun and interact with other community members without the influence of drugs or alcohol.
Many thanks to our sponsors, including our lead sponsor 10 ConsulTech and team sponsor G. Weima Construction. Planning has already begun for next year’s Recovery Cup and we look forward to seeing everyone again in 2018!