A Chatham woman is making sure the memory of her late father lives on through the sport that he loved and the local youth whom he coached for over 25 years.
For the second year in a row, Jen Breen is helping to organize a tournament to commemorate her father's contribution to Chatham-Kent's young baseball players. The second annual Robb Vincent Memorial Tournament will be held at Jaycee Park in Chatham on Saturday and Sunday.
Vincent spent 27 years coaching Chatham-Kent's youth with the Chatham Minor Baseball Association, until the 61-year-old lifelong Chatham resident passed away in September of 2016 after a short battle with cancer.
"It's kind of funny, I don't even follow baseball whatsoever, but I know how important it was to my dad," said Breen. "Every year was going to be his last year and he just couldn't get away from it, so I just felt that it was important to carry on his name in the sport that he loved so much."
Breen said her father continued coaching right up until two weeks before he passed away.
Through a charity barbeque and raffle draws the tournament raises money for the Chatham Minor Baseball Association, to be put towards better equipment for the kids and park improvements. The young baseball players at the tournament will also have a shot at their own exclusive raffle draw for a chance to win tickets to a Detroit Tigers game.
"Everything is geared towards the [kids] and that's what my dad was all about," said Breen.
She said her dad would have loved to have seen how the tournament is benefiting Chatham-Kent's minor baseball players.
"[My dad] loved baseball and played it as a kid. He loved teaching the kids how to play the game, he made sure every kid had a fair opportunity no matter their skill level," she said. "He made sure every one of them had fun. It wasn't about the competition or winning or losing... It was all about the kids having a good time."
The event raised a total of $1,630 last year and Breen expects to far exceed that this year. The number of teams has also expanded from the previous tournament from three to eight. As well, a number of local business have stepped up to make donations for the barbeque and raffle prizes.
Breen added that one of the highlights for this year is former MLB pitcher and Chatham native Bill Atkinson will also in attendance to sign autographs.
Breen said anyone who would like to help support Chatham Minor Baseball and have a shot at gift baskets and a cash prize, can stop by during tournament on Saturday to buy raffle tickets starting at 10am. The final draw for the prizes will be held on Sunday, but participants do not need to be present to win.
Those who can't make it on Saturday are encouraged to contact Breen through the tournament's Facebook page by clicking here.