by Sylene Argent
Over the weekend, several slo-pitch teams battled for top place in men’s, women’s, and co-ed divisions at McGregor’s Co-An Park during the 2018 L.A.’s Fun Fest Slo-Pitch Tournament.
The teams played in various difficulty levels, with players hoping to bring their best game so their teams could advance to the Slo-Pitch National provincial tournament.
New to the tournament this year, Kaidyn’s Dream, an organization that urges individuals to register to become an organ donor, was this year’s charity of choice.
The Blair family of Essex created Kaidyn’s Dream a few years back. Kaidyn, who was born with Biliary Atresia, was able to receive a lifesaving liver transplant shortly after his first birthday.
Kaidyn, who just recently turned 16, has been an advocate for organ donation over the past few years. Through awareness and registration blitzes that he and his family and supporters have hosted, the number of Essex area individuals on the Organ Donation Registry has risen from 18 percent to 47 percent.
Through Kaidyn’s Dream, volunteers are hoping to host another registration blitz before the end of the year to attempt to raise the number of Essex area individuals on the Organ Donation Registry to 50 percent.
Essex is currently ranked 50th out of 170 Ontario communities in terms of its organ donation registration rate.
Volunteers with Kaidyn’s Dream hosted a couple of activities, and accepted donations, over the course tournament. Funds raised over the weekend will likely be used to purchase a billboard to promote registering to become an organ donor, his mom, Tammy, explained. She added being invited to the tournament was a great way to raise awareness about the cause.
For more information, log onto www.beadonor.ca or www.beadonor.ca/campaign/kaidyns-dream.