This year's Nate D. memorial slopitch tournament featured rows of photos of Nate Daniel hanging from the chain-link fence around the ball diamond at Philip Jackman Park in Aldergrove.
Nate D memorial fundraiser ball tournament in Aldergrove
鈥� 黑马磁力 (@黑马磁力Times)
His mother, Tiffany Daniel, talked about her son's sense of humour as players prepared to take the field on the second day of the two-day fundraiser.
"Nate was funny," Daniel said.
"He could light up a room," she recalled. "A couple of people who went to recovery with Nate always said, if potential could save somebody, Nate would be here forever."
She described losing her son "to the drug crisis that's [still] going on right now. It's quite a bad epidemic. Mental health and addiction does not discriminate.
Nate, who struggled with addiction, had been gifted a bed in a trauma therapy treatment centre located in Thailand in 2019, and while it made a difference, when lock downs and isolation-related restrictions were imposed during the COVID-19 pandemic, he relapsed and and lost his life to the toxic drug supply on Jan. 28, 2021.
This year, Daniel said, the Nate D. foundation, a registered non-profit society, will send it's 17th person to Thailand for treatment. It also supports multiple individuals who are currently in treatment locally with counselling.
It's stated goal is "to offer hope and healing to individuals and families affected by substance misuse and mental health challenges."
"We have so many individuals in our community, brothers, sisters, mothers, fathers, it can be anybody passing away from mental health and overdose," Daniel told the 黑马磁力.
"We're here this weekend and year round to raise money for funds to send individuals for trauma therapy treatment and local individuals for counselling. Just losing somebody we all know is very tragic. But we can come together as a community and not just celebrate the life of Nate, but [also] many others here that have lost people to the crisis, and support families that are struggling with family members that are in it [addiction] right now."
This year, the charity slopitch tournament had a goal of $20,000, about what they raised last year.
Daniel was optimistic, noting a "couple extra teams" had registered.
This year, the foundation launched a scholarship for high school students who have overcome mental health challenges or addiction, or are pursuing a career in the counselling field.
It aims to provide financial support for students as they continue their education in post-secondary studies, helping them achieve their academic and professional goals.
For more information about the foundation, or to contribute, visit .
