The 4th Annual Corn Toss tournament to raise funds for under-served youth of Somerville took place at Trum Field this past Saturday.

By Mellow D.

I approached Trum Field just 15 minutes shy of its start time of 11:00 a.m. From a distance, I saw dozens of Corn Toss boards neatly arranged in four rows and small corn-kernel-filled sacks spread about them.

Families gathered at Trum Field Saturday September 12, 2015 to compete in the 4th Annual Corn Toss tournament to fundraise for the under-served youth of Somerville. Orange, green and white balloons waived with Irish pride while clusters of black and green t-shirts moved about.

The words “Just One” became recurrent in my mind as I read people’s t-shirts in passing. I waited to speak to the Harringtons while kids and parents eagerly looked over prizes for the on-going raffle.

It turned out to be hotter than anyone expected. The sun had been hidden away all morning behind thick grey clouds accompanied by a moist chill breeze. Almost as if a signal to begin, the 11:00 a.m. start time brought with it nothing but sunshine and warmth.

The Ryan Harrington Foundation was created in memory of the late Ryan Harrington of Somerville. His favorite friendly yet still competitive way to pass time with family and friends was the Corn Toss. While growing up in Somerville, he was heavily involved in its youth sports programs. He played for both the Pop Warner and Little League teams and excelled as a young athlete. Described as selfless and giving, Ryan left a large void for many when he passed away in May of 2011.

~Photos by Mellow D.

Moments before the tournament began, the Harrington’s gathered everyone together for a prayer, led by family friend Father Paul Coughlin. The silence that fell upon the crowd was expressive of the respect for the day’s significance. Upon the echoed “amens,” everyone dispersed to find their first matches. I headed directly over to David Harrington, Ryan’s father, and introduced myself.

With all of the excitement about us, our conversation was interrupted several times by love-filled greetings and long embraces with friends and family in attendance. We broke away from the crowd and I found myself pleasantly surprised at how swiftly David and I fell into a heart-to-heart conversation. Right away he gushed about Ryan and what he meant to his friends and family.

Interrupting his own laughter, he began, “You have to keep them busy,” he paused a moment. “The disease that took Ryan does not discriminate.” I knew I needed to ask the hard question: How did Ryan pass away? He leaned in close to me, “Ryan died of a heroin overdose.” For David, the loss of his son is a memory worthy of strong emotion. He wore sunglasses under the hot mid-day sun, but I still saw his eyes well up. He was at a loss for words, so we sat in silence.

The disease of addiction took Ryan’s life at age 26. It is a tragedy all too familiar for many families in Boston and its surrounding communities. The opioid presence is considered to be an epidemic here in Massachusetts, as can be seen in the documentary If Only, produced by James Walberg. It reveals the dark truth about addiction to painkillers and the all too depressing and frequent turn to heroin due to its much lower price and easier attainability. While the number of deaths due to opioid overdose is sadly on the rise, families like the Harringtons are speaking up and out about our community’s growing challenge. The Ryan Harrington Foundation would agree that awareness is a key factor in the ongoing battle against addiction. They feel that keeping children away from opiates would be ideal, but in an imperfect world we must prepare our families for the truth. That discussing the danger of opioids with our youth is only the first step. It is time to take action and be proactive in building our children’s foundation for their success prior to and even facing addiction. The rehabilitation process needs to change.

David looked out over the rows of corn-tossing underway. “This is my Christmas,” he told me. His smile returned as he spoke about giving under-served youth a chance at an opioid-free life growing up in Somerville.

It should never be overlooked that from Ryan’s passing, a foundation has emerged that has, to date, raised just about $62,000, $17,000 of that raised this past Saturday. The best part of Ryan Harrington lives on through this foundation in supporting and funding local youth sports and programs while also bringing awareness to the very apparent opioid presence in our community. His passing and it remembrance will serve to remind us of the darkness of addiction that so many of us will face. Yet as The Ryan Harrington Foundation believes, if they could save “Just One,” it will all be worth it.