In conjunction with the Canadian Transplant Association and Play for a Cause, Volleyball BC was honoured to host Play for CTA on Saturday, September 10, 2016. The Co-ed 6’s tournament, which was held at the Harry Jerome Sports Centre, was made possible by several parties all with one heartfelt goal in mind: to raise awareness for organ and tissue donation.

150 players, 18 teams, and 35 new donors was the result of Play for CTA.

“That’s around 23% which is actually the national average,” said Andrew Drysdale, Board Member of the Canadian Transplant Association in British Columbia. “It’s very interesting that this statistic is the same as the national average. It’s good, but it is low. That’s why we do the events that we do, to raise awareness.”

Drysdale, who is a heart transplant recipient himself, manifested his long-time idea of creating such a tournament into reality earlier this summer.
“I’ve been involved with many transplant association sporting events,” said Drysdale. “In the UK, they have an annual volleyball tournament, and it inspired me to do a tournament with the Canadian Transplant Association. I then reached out to Chris Densmore at Volleyball BC and he was very receptive to it. We immediately arranged a meeting and talked about organ donation and how it saved my life. He was very humbled by it and signed up to be an organ donor within a few days of speaking to me!

“I got sick really quick and I needed a heart,” Drysdale recalls of 2007. “I got my transplant within two days of being on the list. It was a bit of a shock and I was only 24 at the time. Thankfully all is good and I am able to do things like this and raise awareness.”
It didn’t take long for Volleyball BC to get on board.

“I was immediately touched by Andrew’s story,” said Densmore, CEO of Volleyball BC. “To be a part of such a worthy cause, raising awareness and helping people in need, is something we should all strive for and work towards more often. I could see the enthusiasm and gratitude in his eyes, and we (Volleyball BC) couldn’t be more thrilled about hosting the event here at our facility.”

The partnership then became a trio with the help of Doan Nguyen from Play for a Cause.

“It was a great idea!” said Nguyen, Founder and Director of Play for a Cause. “There are a lot of young people out there, especially in volleyball that I play with, that always mention or talk about becoming donors, but we didn’t really know how and it wasn’t easy or accessible enough. So, I thought it’s something we can do and help them raise awareness for tissue and organ donations.”
Needless to say, the event was filled with high spirits, comradery, and a celebration of the cause with the entire community, and new and familiar friends.

“My favourite part was the break, the meeting before we start playoffs,” said Nguyen when asked about the highlight of the event. “We recap why we’re here and what we’ve achieved. 35 new donors on the list! All the players reflected on why they’re there, we took a group picture and got right into playing!”

The event truly shone light on how much impact we can all have towards an incredible cause, such as this one. The sharing of stories, both personal, and those of families, friends, and colleagues, brought everyone together. Nguyen recalled how heartwarming it was to hear the personal experiences and stories from all the attendees, especially that of his colleague on the board of directors.

“His grandma received a transplant, she’s alive and given a second chance now because she received the transplant. Since it’s within our group of directors, it really stood out to me. Doing the tournament this year, potentially next year, and further years to come is something we would love to be part of.”

If you or anyone you know would like to register to be a donor, please click here!

For all the photos from the event taken by Benny Lin, click here!