A charity pickleball tournament that started as a class project last year is returning for a second year, with a lot of support from the community.
On Jan. 20, 64 local pickleball players will be gathering at Cambie secondary to compete and raise funds for cancer research in the "Play for Hope" tournament.
"I wanted to host this event because mainly, I have history of my own with cancer," said Alexandra Mejia, a Grade 11 student at Cambie secondary.
"I lost my grandfather when I was very young, and so that was a big part. And I just thought it would be a great opportunity to honour him in that way."
Mejia is co-hosting the tournament with fellow Grade 11 classmate Maya Parmar, who also has a personal connection with the disease.
"My grandpa has had cancer for about four years to five years now, and he's been in the final stages. And it's been quite hard for my family because he's kind of what we call the glue to my family," Parmar told the Richmond News.
She added going through these difficult times has brought her family closer, and she wanted to nurture this sense of community through the tournament.
"We found that we can have the (Richmond BC Pickleball Association) and elderly pickleball players come meet the Cambie students, so they were able to build that connection that wouldn't have happened without this event," Parmar explained.
The pair have enlisted the help of peers from younger grades as well in the hopes of encouraging them to take on similar initiatives.
A big inspiration for the two student organizers is Linda Wong, Cambie secondary teacher and sponsor teacher for the event.
Wong has been raising funds for the Canadian Cancer Society for more than 30 years and introduced students to various volunteering opportunities for the cause.
Last year, she worked with students Jed Tan and Joar Hussain to put together the inaugural Play for Hope tournament.
"I think the biggest thing that we have learned from our experience is how grateful we are to have those around us," said Mejia, who explained Wong has "played a big part" in helping them organize the tournament.
She added student volunteers have been stepping up and coming in after school hours despite having schoolwork and other things to worry about in their personal lives.
"... we're amazed at how much people really put in that time and that effort to help us," said Mejia.
Community rallies for cancer fundraiser
Registration for the tournament opened in December 2023 and was filled up quickly with all but one spot left in just two days. Within five days, all 64 spots were full with a growing waitlist.
Mejia and Parmar, as well as student volunteers for the event, are hoping to raise $5,000 through the tournament. They have raised $3,660 so far.
Although registrations for the tournament are closed, the public is welcome to attend and support local athletes.
Two 11-year-old Richmond students, Caitlyn Ho from Diefenbaker elementary and Keira Yip from McKinney elementary, will once again be selling pickleball-themed swag and donating their proceeds.
Other fundraising efforts on the day will include a charity bake sale and a raffle table with donations from the 30 Days of Hope fundraiser for the Canadian Cancer Society.
The raffle will also feature two paintings donated by John Beatty, a local artist and pickleball player, and Trail Appliances is also an avid supporter of the tournament.
The tournament will run from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. on Jan. 20. For community members unable to attend, donations can also be made online to the Canadian Cancer Society under Wong's 30 Days of Hope initiative.
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