Updated: Hockey Against Hate charity sports tournament supports Recovery College at CMHA Ottawa!

Nov 25, 2024

One-day hockey tournament that combats racism and hatred in our community funds vital peer-based wellness workshops

Update: Wednesday, Nov. 26, 2024:

From left, standing: Susan Farrell, CEO; Corry Comeau, Housing Coordinator and captain of Team CMHA Ottawa on the ice; Rabbi Idan Scher; Rabbi Michael Goldstein; Howie Miller, and Justin Levine.
Seated: Rebecca Rutland; Amber M.; Jacalyn Ball, Program Manager; Karen Fusee and Ginny Goulet. 

Thank you, Hockey Against Hate, for the generous donation of $10,000 to CMHA Ottawa’s Recovery College! 

Last Thursday, the organizers of the Hockey Against Hate charity sports tournament visited us at the CMHA Ottawa offices to learn about Recovery College, a transformational peer-designed and peer-facilitated mental health workshop series and the Hockey Against Hate charity partner. 

Over a wonderful breakfast provided by our guests, Rabbi Idan Scher, Rabbi Michael Goldstein, Howie Miller, and Justin Levine, visited with the Recovery College team to learn about a vital program that does not receive any ministry funding—relying entirely on charitable donations and grants to stay afloat. The Hockey Against Hate team met with Rebecca Rutland, Peer Support Worker and one of driving forces behind Recovery College, as well as workshop co-producers, Amber M., Karen Fusee, and Ginny Goulet. 

They learned about classes like Connecting with Your Community, Get Growing: Gardening Tips and Troubleshooting, Medication Autonomy, Money and Me: Day to Day, and so many other empowering topics and their life-changing results. 

From all of us at CMHA Ottawa, our sincere thanks to our guests for a truly heartfelt and thoughtful discussion, and for the very generous donation that will go a long way. Thank you as well to all of the Hockey Against Hate donors, supporters and participants for a truly great experience. 

Howie Miller delivers the $10,000 cheque to Susan Farrell. 

A roundtable discussion about the life-affirming workshops at Recovery College.

Team CMHA Ottawa after their victory against the Informed Opinions!

Susan Farrell and Jacalyn Ball ready to chat about Recovery College with attendees at the tournament.

Glenna Gosewich, Susan Farrell, Jacalyn Ball and Rabbi Idan Scher at the tournament.

Ottawa—Friday, June 5, 2024: Registration is now open for the second annual Hockey Against Hate charity sports tournament, which will take place Sunday, August 25, 2024, from noon to 6:00 p.m. at the Bell Sensplex in the Ottawa suburb of Stittsville. Participation in the tournament and spectator attendance are free of charge.

Hockey Against Hate was established as part of Rabbi Idan Scher’s community bridge-building initiatives in 2023 to address racism and hatred in our local community. Last year’s event was a massive success, raising $73,500 as five teams faced off in a full day of exciting hockey.

In its second year, things will ramp up as 10 teams face off in a one-day tournament on two rinks. Participants may register as individuals, create a team of their own, or join an existing team. Supporters may donate to an individual player, team, or make a general donation; they may also choose from several sponsorship packages. Hockey fans are welcome to cheer from the stands and enjoy the festivities.

Hockey Against Hate reminds us that we’re all on the same team. At a time of extreme polarization and a significant increase in hate-related incidents in the Nation’s Capital, we need now more than ever to come together and bond as a community.

Not only is our society united by a love of hockey, we all have mental health. This year’s Hockey Against Hate charity partner is the Ottawa branch of the Canadian Mental Health Association (CMHA Ottawa), whose Recovery College program will be the fundraising beneficiary. Recovery College is a peer-designed and peer-facilitated series of mental health workshops that equip participants with the skills we all need to thrive.

Related: Learn all about Recovery College with our comprehensive guide!

“Hockey Against Hate addresses a societal need by showing us that we can all find common ground in sport, community and charity,” says Dr. Susan Farrell, CEO of CMHA Ottawa. “We’re thrilled that Rabbi Scher and his team have selected Recovery College as their charity partner, a program that does not receive ongoing funding. Hockey Against Hate will help sustain these collaborative, empowering classes that put some of Ottawa’s most marginalized individuals on a path to wellness.”

Recovery Colleges are a new way to present mental health and wellness information, honouring both lived and learned expertise. Topics offered to CMHA Ottawa clients include Challenging Isolation and Loneliness, Connecting with Nature, Coping with Triggers, Developing Self-Compassion, and more.

Each one-hour course is designed and delivered by people with lived experience with a mental health or substance use challenge.

With the funds raised, CMHA Ottawa plans to expand the Recovery College program and facilitate new partnerships focused on interfaith and anti-racist programming.

Together, Hockey Against Hate and Recovery College are sounding the alarm bell on the rise in hate crime in Ottawa – the staggering rise in anti-Semitism, Islamophobia, anti-Black and -BIPOC racism, anti-2SLGBTQIA+ hate, anti-Asian hate, and other forms of hate and bias, while illustrating that there is no place for discrimination in our city. To learn more about Hockey Against Hate, visit hockeyagainsthate.com.

Want to make a difference? Donate to Team CMHA Ottawa today! Check out our team’s fundraiser page: Team CMHA Ottawa

The Canadian Mental Health Association, Ottawa Branch (CMHA Ottawa), is an independent, community-based non-profit organization that provides services for eligible individuals in the Ottawa area with severe and persistent mental illness and/or substance use disorder, many of whom are experiencing chronic homelessness or are vulnerably housed. CMHA Ottawa is dedicated to promoting good mental health, developing and implementing sustainable support systems and services, and encouraging public action to strengthen community mental health services and related policies and legislation.