CALEB NICKERSON
SHAWVILLE June 1-3, 2018The eighth annual Do It For Daron 3-Pitch Tournament took over Elwood Dale Park in Shawville from June 1-3, bringing ball players from all over the Valley to raise money for a worthy cause.
Do It For Daron (DIFD) is a non-profit organization started by Shawville natives Luke and Stephanie Richardson to create awareness around mental illness and invite young people to openly discuss the issue.
In 2010, the Richardson’s 14 year-old daughter Daron took her own life. Since then, her parents have turned their journey into a grassroots movement partnered with the Royal Ottawa Mental Health Centre that has raised thousands of dollars for research and education.

Hailey Murray, who started the tournament with her friends Bria Hearty and Kegan Keon, explained that the DIFD is a personal cause for them, and they knew they had to support the initiative.
“We knew [Daron] growing up and we started this as a fundraiser to raise awareness about the foundation and to raise funds for it too, of course,” she said. “We’re on our eighth year this year and we’re hoping to reach $100,000. That’d be huge for us.”
Seventeen teams took part over the weekend, divided into A and B divisions.
Murray explained that in addition to the fun on the field, the drinks were flowing in the R.A. Hall and there was a silent auction to boot. She was grateful for all the volunteers who came out and businesses who offered their support.
“We also have a lot of help from the Shawville R.A.,” she said. “Their members donate a lot of time to help us with it, in terms of getting the field ready, the building, getting the bar stocked, stuff like that. We wouldn’t be able to do it otherwise.”
In the end, the Mother Truckers took home the B title and the Quyon Flyers snagged the top prize in the A division.
Unfortunately, the final amounts raised were unavailable at the time of print.