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Volleyball tournament serves up funds for Stollery hospital

ST. PAUL - A volleyball tournament that started out as part of a graduation celebration five years ago has turned into a fundraiser that now collects thousands of dollars for the Stollery Children's Hospital. 

On Aug. 7 and 8, Brett Seguin, along with his younger brother Kale and their cousin Tyler Jodoin, hosted a beach volleyball tournament near St. Lina, raising $5,100 for the cause. 

Brett explains that the tournament's roots go back to 2017, when the crew organized a volleyball tournament in his parents' backyard. They built the beach volleyball courts in part of a large garden, and it became an annual tradition for the next few years. Last summer, they decided to go ahead with the tournament again, but instead moved it out to a field that is normally used to pasture cows, located near St. Lina. 

They built two beach volleyball courts and decided to fundraise for the Stollery, donating just under $2,000 in 2020.

In 2021, they were able to more than double their total donation thanks in part to help from their extended families, the community, and a St. Paul-based business.

After asking participants to each raise $100, and tallying it all up - with many players exceeding that $100 minimum - Brett says they were pleased with the result, and after totalling expenses, expected to be donating about $3,600. Then, Smile Quest Dental, a dentist office in St. Paul, stepped up their game and donated the $1,500 needed to cover the weekend expenses, allowing organizers to donate the full $5,100.

Brett admits the total amount raised was surprising.

When asked why organizers chose the Stollery as the organization they would support, Brett explains how he has a young family member who spent a few weeks at the Stollery as a baby. Brett himself also made the trip to the Stollery a handful of times as a baby and child for medical treatment, making the choice fairly easy.

He also recently received a message from the Stollery hospital, stating the donated funds would go toward an expansion of the pediatric surgery clinic that is planned in the future, and a beach renovation that is also being planned.

The children's hospital has been happy to receive the funds the last two years, and even sent banners and tax forms for this year's event. 

Brett says they are hoping to keep the volleyball tournament growing, and are aiming even higher next year, hoping to register 16 teams. 

“There’s lots of room in the field," he says, adding, when they started building the courts out in the field, his grandpa thought they were a little crazy to do it out in the cow pasture. 

The 2021 edition of the tournament brought people in from the local area, Plamondon, St. Albert, and beyond. It included a total of 36 players. Some of the players in the tournament are post-secondary students, and overall, the tournament is competitive. Members of the community even came out to watch this year's action, which included an A and B side.

"It's definitely competitive," says Brett. The volleyball tournament takes place the second weekend of August.


Janice Huser

About the Author: Janice Huser

Janice Huser has been with the St. Paul Journal since 2006. She is a graduate of the SAIT print media journalism program, is originally from St. Paul and has a passion for photography.
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