The Hope for Today Foundation continues to make vital efforts to raise funds and provide support for individuals experiencing substance abuse through its annual event, Clash of the Legends Football and Family Fun Day.
Now in its 13th year, the event was held on 18 May at the Ed Bush Stadium in West Bay and serves as one of the major fundraisers for the foundation.
With many people experiencing substance abuse challenges in Cayman, the event leverages the power of community to raise funds through raffle ticket sales, ensuring the foundation can continue offering the structured resources necessary to facilitate long-term rehabilitation.
Football action
Beyond the fundraising efforts, a major aspect of the event includes former local footballers – competitive or recreational players – stepping up to support the cause through the showcase of football matches.
Taking to the field for this year’s friendly match was team West Bay who faced off against a combination squad comprising a mix of West Bay and George Town players.
Quentin Ebanks, a player for the West Bay team, said that this was his first time participating and shared why he got involved.
“It’s significant to come out and show some support for people that’s been through substance abuse and trying to recover. That’s one of the main reasons that I’m here,” Ebanks said.
“This event represents something positive and is definitely what they need because it’s sports, and sports usually brings people together,” he added.
Brent Hydes, operations manager of the Hope For Today Foundation, said that he also joined in on the football action in the second half of the game after the mixed squad were down 7-1.
While playing with the mixed team, Hydes, 66, said that they were able to increase their goal count by four before the West Bay side took the overall win with a final score of 8-5.
A community effort
Reflecting on the event, Hydes said, “We have been doing this tournament to assist individuals in our community struggling with substance abuse, and also to try to remove the stigma of substance abuse.”
“[The purpose of the event is to also] encourage families to come out, learn more about recovery, and the process that it takes as it [requires] a whole family unit to assist a family member or individual struggling with substance abuse issues,” he added.
For Hydes, the participants in the football match stepping onto the field is a tangible way to show support towards the cause.
“What this does is shows those persons experiencing substance abuse struggles that individuals in our community care. It’s a way of showing love and kindness because a lot of these individuals that participate in this event don’t have substance abuse issues, but they feel it. They see what it’s doing to their friends, family and our community,” Hydes said.
“If they can make a small contribution just by … going into their closets, taking their boots out, dusting off the cobwebs, and participating in these games, it’s an awesome thing for the community because it shows such a level of compassion. I think the heart of these guys is unmeasurable,” he added.
While the funds were raised through the purchasing of raffle tickets, Hydes said that food was “given away to the community absolutely free because the organisation is supported by the community all year round”.
“We think it’s important for the foundation to give something back to our community and to the people at large.”
The foundation’s background and mission
This level of community care is central to the mission of the Hope for Today Foundation, which was established in the early 2000s.
Highlighting a common destructive cycle he noticed, Hydes said, “The foundation was established because we recognised that individuals that were in prison and later released were going back to the same old environments. They were out for a couple of weeks, then back in prison again.”
“When we established the foundation, we saw the trend being changed. People could come out of prison, work through recovery, stay at one of our transitional living facilities for six months, get a job, get a bank account, get a car and start rebuilding their lives and relationships with family and friends. It’s so beautiful to see someone make that transition from being an active user to someone contributing to our community positively.”
For individuals currently facing substance abuse or in the process of recovery, Hydes said he wants them to “always remember that there’s help available”.
Listing a few options, he said, “There are people in our community, there’s a government that has established rehabilitation centers, counseling centers, probation rehabilitation [and more].”
Persons seeking help or interested in learning more about the Hope For Today Foundation can contact Brent Hydes at 928-9099 or visit their website and Facebook page.
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