Homeless organizations meet up for the 2nd Humanitarian Cup dragon boat race

On Saturday, May 25, for the second year in a row, staff, volunteers and clients of the Old Brewery Mission rowed in a friendly dragon boat race at the Olympic Basin at Parc Jean-Drapeau.

Jean-Marie Lapointe, the host of the television program Face à la rue and the new docu-reality series Fin du mois, organized the event with the help of the H2o Playground dragon boat club. The idea was to bring organizations involved in fighting homelessness together for an outdoor team-building and socializing experience.

The 12-member+ Old Brewery Mission team paddled with the Pas de la rue team to finish second and take the silver medal. The Accueil Bonneau team finished first while the Maison du Père team rounded out the medals with the bronze.

Quality time

For Old Brewery Mission staff and clients alike, the day was a break from the daily grind, which can often be challenging.

“Being able to spend time with our clients in a recreational activity or a different setting is always something special,” says Vincent Ozrout, a counsellor at the Old Brewery Mission’s Café Mission Keurig®. “It reminds us that homelessness is a temporary circumstance; it doesn’t define who you are.”

Participants in the friendly race said it was a chance to get out of their usual surroundings, reconnect with nature and relate to staff as people, outside the helping relationship situation.

While the last edition of the event was held in the rain, the sun shone down on the Olympic Basin this year. Thanks to Jean-Marie Lapointe’s hard work and the warm welcome from  H2o, a good time was had by all.

Team Spirit

Special thanks to Gildan for helping us row with team spirit thanks to its generous donation of quality t-shirts. Go team Old Brewery Mission!