The folks back in Glace Bay, N.S. will no doubt be proud to hear that one of their own was instrumental in winning the championship trophy at Wednesday night’s Darts for Charity in support of the Senators Community Foundation.

Barry Larocque hasn’t played much in recent years, but he certainly did growing up in the former coal-mining town, on the eastern shore of Cape Breton Island.

“It’s part of our culture — people comin’ together to play darts,” Larocque, speaking in a thick Cape Breton accent, told CiTC.

Not only did he and Ryan Fleming, property manager with Fleming Property Management, snag the trophy, but they also scored blinged-out championship sports rings from organizers, and an armload of gifts from the Ottawa Senators hockey club.

In total, 25 pairs competed in the sold-out Darts for Charity event held at Manor Lounge, a restaurant, lounge and entertainment venue located on Elgin Street in downtown Ottawa.

Twenty-five teams competed for a trophy, championship sports rings and Ottawa Senators swag at Darts for Charity organized by Meerkat Marketing and Keynote Search on Wednesday, June 11, 2025 in support of the Senators Community Foundation at Manor Lounge. Photo by Caroline Phillips

In second place were NutriChem’s Sophie Pollon-MacLeod and Brad Brookman. They received new pickleball sets. While darts is far from becoming as popular as pickleball, the Darts for Charity event has hooked a new wave of local fans ever since it arrived on the Ottawa scene last year.

The fundraiser is hosted by a pair of award-winning entrepreneurs: Kyle Turk, CEO at branding, digital and social media marketing agency Meerkat Marketing, and James Baker, CEO and co-founder of executive search firm Keynote Search (it helped bring Jacqueline Belsito, formerly an executive with CHEO Foundation, into her role as president of the Senators Community Foundation in late 2022).

The pair welcomed a visit from Mayor Mark Sutcliffe, playfully thanking him for making their event “a top priority”, right up there with his recent meetings with King Charles and Prime Minister Mark Carney.

To the crowd, Baker said: “We want to raise a bunch of money, we want to see you throw things, and, generally, have a good night.”

Donna Baker, partner and co-founder of Keynote Search, Ottawa Mayor Mark Sutcliffe, James Baker, CEO and co-founder of Keynote Search, and Kyle Turk, CEO of Meerkat Marketing, at the Darts for Charity fundraiser for the Senators Community Foundation, held at Manor Lounge on Wednesday, June 11, 2025. Photo by Caroline Phillips

The evening raised $15,000 for the Senators Community Foundation, which is the philanthropic arm of the Ottawa Senators. It funds programs and supports partner charities that are helping children and youth in Ottawa-Gatineau.

Belsito attended with nearly a full roster of representatives from the Sens organization. Last year’s inaugural tournament inspired them to install a dartboard in the long hallway of their office.

“We’ve been practising, and it’s been a lot of fun,” said Belsito of the team spirit the dartboard has brought to the workplace. “We are a hockey team, so we are competitive.”

(No kidding. When the Sens dart players got eliminated from the tournament, they moved over to playing on the indoor bocce ball court).

Darts for Charity included sponsorship from Intega IT, Mirabel Management, numbercrunch, seoplus+, SoutarCapital and RememberMeRoofing. As the tournament reached the finals, spectators were encouraged to make some noise with the free drinking mugs designed by Ottawa-based LoudCup, which come with a built-in horn that you blow.

Top row, from left: Ryan Trahan, Daniel Iasenza, Jacqueline Belsito, Chelsea McDermott, Kati Parrott,  Cassandra Chiasson and Andrew Hardaker. Bottom row, from left: Kyle Gourgon, Jennifer Cameron and Hannah Newsome were out to support the Darts for Charity event held at Manor Lounge. Photo by Caroline Phillips

2024 Darts for Charity champion Bachar “Bobby” Neema, account manager at seoplus+, was feeling the pressure to defend his title, this time with a new darts partner: Maddie Grainger (the story of how they teamed up was the focus of a hilarious mockumentary produced by seoplus+).

“I’m ready — I feel like I’m prepared for this,” Grainger, operations coordinators at seoplus+, confidently told CiTC. But when asked if she’d actually been practising, she replied with a grin: “I’ve been saying I’ve been practising.”

WBN Businesswoman of the Year finalist Susan Richards, co-founder and CEO of numbercrunch, shared her carefully calculated strategy, which involved relying on “pure luck.”

She decided against practising or warming up, worried it might jinx her chances. “I’m going for the beginner’s version of luck,” she laughed.

Players must have struggled to keep their eyes on the board while competing against Brian Boucher, vice president of commercial and residential fuels at MacEwen Petroleum, and his darts partner and colleague, Andrew Metcalf. They lit up the room with dart shirts loud enough to distract anyone’s peripheral vision.

Alex Dorward, CEO of Ascribe Marketing/COO of WebMarketers, and James Ward insisted they weren’t in it to win it — despite showing up with their own set of darts.

Ward, who grew up in Cardiff, Wales, also resisted calling himself a serious player. “I’m serious about watching; I really like watching good people play, but I’m not really good,” demurred the head of operations at WebMarketers. He does happen to know three professional darts players from his hometown. “I’m not one of them.”

As for the trophy, it looked like it was just getting started on what promised to be a fun night. “We’re going to celebrate,” said Fleming, who couldn’t remember the last time he’d won a championship. “Minor hockey, maybe.”

From left, Darren Fleming, property manager at Fleming Property, recruited darts partner Barry Larocque, a real estate agent with Royal LePage Team Realty, to win this year’s Darts for Charity, a fundraiser held at Manor Lounge in support of the Senators Community Foundation. Photo by Caroline Phillips

The championship rings given to Darren Fleming and Barry Larocque after they won the Darts for Charity tournament held at Manor Lounge on Wednesday, June 11, 2025 in support of the Senators Community Foundation. Photo by Caroline Phillips

Bachar “Bobby” Neema, Maddie Grainger, Austin Perron, Brock Murray (co-founder and COO) from seoplus+, along with Murray’s wife Faith Murray, sponsored and participated in the Darts for Charity tournament organized by Meerkat Marketing and Keynote Search in support of the Senators Community Foundation, and held at Manor Lounge on Elgin Street. Photo by Caroline Phillips

Numbercrunch co-founders Craig Hung and Susan Richards sponsored and participated in the Darts for Charity tournament organized by Meerkat Marketing and Keynote Search in support of the Senators Community Foundation, and held at Manor Lounge on Elgin Street. Photo by Caroline Phillips

Kyle Soutar, founder and CEO of Soutar Capital & Consulting, sponsored and participated in the Darts for Charity tournament organized by Meerkat Marketing and Keynote Search in support of the Senators Community Foundation, and held at Manor Lounge on Elgin Street. Photo by Caroline Phillips

From left, Kyle Turk, CEO of Meerkat Marketing, and James Baker, CEO and co-founder of Keynote Group, organized the Darts for Charity fundraiser that raised $15,000 for the Senators Community Foundation. Photo by Caroline Phillips

From left, Andrew Metcalf and Brian Boucher from MacEwen Petroleum dressed for the occasion at this year’s Darts for Charity fundraiser for the Senators Community Foundation. Photo by Caroline Phillips

Ryan Fleming, property manager with Fleming Property Management, was part of the winning dart team at this year’s Darts for Charity held at Manor Lounge in support of the Senators Community Foundation. Photo by Caroline Phillips

From left, the Senators Community Foundation’s Jennifer Cameron (director of events and philanthropy), Keynote Search CEO and event co-organizer James Baker, and Jacqueline Belsito, president of the Senators Community Foundation, watch the final two teams at the Darts for Charity tournament held at Manor Lounge on Elgin Street on Wednesday, June 11, 2025. Photo by Caroline Phillips

From left, Ottawa restaurateur Tony Garcia, Joel Lapierre (Gifford Carr Insurance Group), Adam Kane (Gifford Carr Insurance Group), and John Robinson, president and CEO of sponsor IntegaIT, participated in the Darts for Charity tournament held at Manor Lounge in support of the Senators Community Foundation. Photo by Caroline Phillips

NutriChem naturopathic doctor Sophie Pollon-MacLeod ended up finishing second in the Darts for Charity tournament held at Manor Lounge in support of the Senators Community Foundation. Photo by Caroline Phillips

From left, Austin Perron, digital marketing team lead at seoplus+, played in Darts for Charity with Matthew Swann, president at Brawn Construction. Photo by Caroline Phillips

Susan Richards, co-founder and CEO of numbercrunch, in a before shot. Photo by Caroline Phillips

And an after shot. Photo by Caroline Phillips

NutriChem’s Sophie Pollon-MacLeod and Brad Brookman collect their pickleball sets consolation prize at the Darts for Charity fundraiser for the Senators Community Foundation, held at Manor Lounge. photo by Caroline Phillips

From left, Mirable Management owner Nik Lemieux, seen with her darts partner Joanne Kudakiewicz, sponsored and participated in the Darts for Charity fundraiser for the Senators Community Foundation, held at Manor Lounge. Photo by Caroline Phillips

From left, Matthew Carr, president and CEO of Gifford Carr Insurance Group, Keynote Group co-founder and CEO James Baker, Senators Community Foundation president Jacqueline Belsito, and Ottawa Community Foundation president and CEO Michael Maidment at the Darts for Charity fundraiser for the Senators Community Foundation, held at Manor Lounge. Photo by Caroline Phillips

Alex Dorward, CEO at Ascribe Marketing/COO of WebMarketers, in a before shot. Photo by Caroline Phillips

Alex Dorward, CEO at Ascribe Marketing/COO of WebMarketers, in an after shot. Photo by Caroline Phillips

Kyle Soutar, founder and CEO of Soutar Capital & Consulting, and his darts partner, Devan Pennell, president of Northern Counselling & Therapeutic Services, at the Darts for Charity event held in support of the Senators Community Foundation. Photo by Caroline Phillips

Courtney Turk, president and interior decorator at Courtney Turk Interiors, at the Darts for Charity event held in support of the Senators Community Foundation. Photo by Caroline Phillips

From left, Stephanie Williams and Kelsey Mayo try out the built-in horns on their drinking mugs designed by Ottawa-based LoudCup. Photo by Caroline Phillips

Nik Lemieux, left, in action next to her darts opponent, Sheila McKeen from Colliers Canada, at Darts for Charity held at Manor Lounge. Photo by Caroline Phillips

Naturopathic doctor Emma Pollon-MacLeod, CEO at NutriChem, nervously watches her sister Sophie compete in the finals at Darts for Charity held at Manor Lounge in support of the Senators Community Foundation. Photo by Caroline Phillips

The second annual Darts for Charity, organized by Meerkat Marketing and Keynote Search, raised $15,000 for the Senators Community Foundation. Photo by Caroline Phillips

This article is made possible through sponsorship from Star Motors, WCPD, Marilyn Wilson Dream Properties, ExecHealth, Infinity Convention Centre, Altis Recruitment, Bell Canada, First Avenue Investment Counsel, RBC, Welch LLP, Brazeau Seller Law.

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