All posts by Brenda Tirrell

Beyond the Badge: An OPS Officer’s Commitment to Youth Sport

By Sonia Vani

“As a coach, I can choose to amplify something that is minor,
or I can minimize something that is major, depending on what the athlete needs.
I am there to accompany them through a struggle
and to help them see success at the other end.”

—Acting Sergeant Jafeth Maseruka (Ottawa Police Service) and volunteer basketball coach

Acting Sergeant (A/Sgt) Jafeth Maseruka of the Ottawa Police Service has just returned home after a full day of policing, layered with the everyday demands of being a father.

He pauses in his living room only briefly before heading out again. On his way, his eyes land on the mantle above his fireplace. It is uncluttered by choice, carrying only one possession for display, a Chief Thomas G. Flanagan award, in recognition of Maseruka’s volunteer work coaching youth basketball.

On their worst days, people need first responders to show up and take charge of the moment. It is not uncommon for communities to also rely on them to contribute skills like teamwork and leadership during their off-duty time as well.

For Maseruka, a graduate of St. Patrick’s High School, family and sports played a formative role in shaping who he is today. While he has received many awards over the years, this one holds particular meaning. Through coaching basketball, he offers local youth the same sense of guidance and opportunity that once shaped his own path.

A/Sgt. Maseruka’s life moves in widening circles, from self, to team, to community. Whether he is responding to a work call, driving a player across the city, coordinating meals for his athletes, or supporting a fundraiser, each request is met with the same principle: showing up when and where you are needed is how you contribute value. The routine check-in with the award on his mantle is a cherished reminder of this commitment.

Throughout the city, including in Alta Vista, many first responders are swapping radios for whistles, and uniforms for team jerseys. Those who make this choice feel it balances out the view they have on the public they serve: “We see people on their worst days”, explains Maseruka, “but coaching youth means you interact with them on their good days too. It helps you see the community in a positive light.”

The Chief Thomas G. Flanagan awards are given out annually at a gala fundraising event that celebrates first responders across Ottawa who, like A/Sgt. Maseruka, invest their time in mentoring youth through sport, helping to build confidence, resilience, and community. The event is in support of Their Opportunity, a national charity dedicated to removing barriers so that children and youth can access sport and recreation programs wherever they might live. To date, Their Opportunity has reached more than 90,000 children in over 160 communities across Canada. Last year alone, the Chief Thomas G. Flanagan Gala raised nearly $50,000 in support of these efforts, giving back to programs mainly in the Ottawa region.

When he was a young basketball player, Maseruka relied not only on his own determination, but on coaches and teammates’ families who helped him stay in the game. That experience shaped how he now mentors youth, many of whom face barriers to participating in sport.

Today, the hours he spends driving across the city, picking one player up and dropping another off, are simply part of the role. The coaching extends off the court and into those in-between moments when conversations happen, relationships form, and trust builds.

One memory from Maseruka’s own youth remains especially clear. During a tournament, distracted by his mother’s illness, he struggled to focus. His coach offered simple advice that stayed with him: “Whatever you are going through, don’t fight it. Slow down and let yourself feel it. Pay attention to what is happening inside you. Notice it. And when you are ready, let it go.” What began as advice for a game became a framework for life.

“You do not always see the impact you are having” explains Maseruka, “but when an organization like Their Opportunity, through the Chief Thomas G. Flanagan Gala, takes the time to recognize that what I do matters, that is something I am proud of. It reflects the kind of person I strive to be: someone who brings value by showing up when I am needed.”

In many ways, the qualities that define a good police officer and a good coach are closely aligned. “It’s never about you,” reminds Maseruka, “it is about the person in front of you. My role is to guide, to remove barriers, and to give people a chance to find their own path to success.”

About the Gala and how to support:

Chief Thomas G. Flanagan began his policing career in 1951 and served as Chief of the Ottawa Police Service from 1989 to 1993. Known not only for his operational leadership but also for his volunteer work as a football coach, he embodied a model of service that extended well beyond the job.

Today, his legacy continues through the efforts of his grandson, S/Sgt. Avery Flanagan, also from the Ottawa Police Service, who works alongside Their Opportunity to highlight and celebrate first responders making a difference in the lives of young people. The Gala, now in its fifth year, celebrates first responders and is open to the general public.

Date: May 30, 2026
Location: Infinity Convention Centre.
For tickets or to support: www.theiropportunity.com/gala

The Power of Showing Up: A Legacy Celebrated at the Chief Thomas G. Flanagan Gala

By Sonia Vani

Why is it that some of the busiest people, those who already spend their days serving the community, are often the same ones who find the time and energy to give even more?

Across Ottawa, many first responders, dispatchers, police officers, firefighters, and paramedics, devote their off-hours to volunteering with youth, often through sport and recreation. It is a powerful extension of their work, one that helps shape confidence, resilience, and belonging in the next generation.

Celebrating that commitment is at the heart of the upcoming Chief Thomas G. Flanagan Gala. But to appreciate the spirit behind the event, it helps to first understand the man whose name it carries.

Over a policing career that started in 1951 and spanned more than four decades, Chief Thomas G. Flanagan built a reputation as both a decorated officer and a principled leader.

He earned the Queen’s Commendation for Brave Conduct in 1958 and later received the Governor General’s Star of Courage. Known early on as “Fleet-Foot Flanagan” for his speed in chasing down suspects, he rose through the ranks to become Chief of Police in 1989. Yet, the titles he may have valued most were likely far simpler: to his young athletes on the football field, he was simply “Coach.” To the youngest members in his extended family, he was lovingly called “Grandpa.” Specifically, for his grandson Staff Sergeant (S/Sgt) Avery Flanagan of the Ottawa Police Service, that legacy remains deeply personal. Now the lead organizer of the annual Gala, S/Sgt Flanagan continues to carry forward his grandfather’s example of service.

“Forget He-Man or Superman,” he says. “My superhero growing up was my grandpa.”

He recalls a moment from a family gathering when, as a young boy, he was captivated by the tools on his grandfather’s police belt. Sensing his curiosity, Chief Flanagan gently shifted his attention. The most important tool, he explained to his grandson, wasn’t on the belt at all. It was “right here,” he said, pointing to his mouth. That lesson stayed.

Today, S/Sgt Flanagan describes communication as the cornerstone of effective policing. Like his grandfather, he also gives his time to youth through sport, coaching hockey and helping shape young lives beyond the scope of his daily duties. That spirit of showing up continues across the first responder community.

Many follow a similar path, moving from formal roles in public safety to informal roles in community life, trading their radios for whistles, and their uniforms for team jerseys. In those moments, something meaningful happens. Young people learn not only how to play, but how to collaborate, communicate, persevere, win, lose, and carry themselves with dignity. And the adults who guide them often find something just as valuable in return.

As Dylan Reed, Manager of Events and Special Projects at Their Opportunity, notes, the positive impact of this kind of community service works both ways: “The benefits of volunteering are multiple and mutual,” he says. “What first responders put into working with youth through sport, they get back, and everyone finds in it a real sense of fulfilment.”

Now in its fifth year, the Chief Thomas G. Flanagan Gala recognizes that simple but powerful exchange. The event also serves as a fundraiser for Their Opportunity, a national charity dedicated to helping children overcome barriers through sport and recreation. To date, the organization has reached more than 90,000 children in over 160 communities across Canada. Last year alone, the Gala raised nearly $50,000 in support of programs that make sport more accessible, particularly at the local level.

Reed further highlights that “Funds raised from this year’s Gala go back directly into our community. Through Their Opportunity’s local sport for development programming and subsidy programs, Ottawa youth will get to participate, play and be empowered through sport and physical activity, reaching their full potential both on and off the field of play.”

Perhaps then, the answer to the original question lies in how the act of giving, especially to young people, has a way of sustaining itself. It builds connection, reinforces purpose, and creates a kind of momentum that carries forward, from one generation to the next. Eventually, the giver and the receiver become indistinguishable from one another, as in a sort of double helix of reciprocity, each reinforcing the other’s sense of self, purpose and belonging.

The Chief Thomas G. Flanagan Gala will take place at the Infinity Centre on May 30. The evening, which includes a dinner, an awards ceremony, live music and the chance to network with first responders is open to the general public. Visit https://www.theiropportunity.com/gala to purchase tickets or to support the cause.