Bravehearts deliver bedding to Crozier House

By Tanya Connor
 The Catholic Free Press

WORCESTER – Officials of the Worcester Bravehearts baseball club delivered 11 sets of mattresses and boxsprings to Crozier House before Christmsas. Crozier House is a Catholic Charities home for men in recovery from substance abuse.
Some of the sets may be used for a planned women’s recovery program, according to Timothy McMahon, Catholic Charities executive director.     
“We’re in the process of aggressively pursuing a 6-month recovery program for women” in Leominster, a first for Catholic Charities, Mr. McMahon said, adding that they hope to open it in April or May. If there are more mattresses than Crozier House needs, they will be saved for this program, he said.
“It was something the team thought of doing,” Dave Peterson, Bravehearts general manager, said of making the donation. He said they were inspired by the work minor league teams do around the holidays.
People always think about providing food and toys, he said, but “if you don’t have a good bed” every day is affected by that. “To give beds is something that lasts.”
Delivering the mattresses with him on Dec. 18 were John W. S. Creedon Jr., Bravehearts president and owner, and Matt Stebbins, operations manager.
A season ticket holder got two companies to donate the mattresses and boxspring sets and gave them to the Bravehearts to give to a non-profit of their choice, he said.
“I have known of Catholic Charities for quite some time,” Mr. Peterson said. “The mission was something we wanted to help out.” So Catholic Charities was contacted.
“It was a wonderful surprise,” Mr. McMahon said, explaining that Catholic Charities doesn’t usually get this kind of donation, but always has a need for it. He said they are “very, very appreciative of the fan and the Bravehearts.”
They could have used mattresses and boxsprings in a number of places, but Crozier House needed them most, he said.
He said they would replace some being used in their 30-bed facility, which always has a waiting list.