RAINBOW shoelaces will be in action to make a striking statement in Creswick on Saturday.
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Ballarat Ultimate is hosting some major hit-outs this weekend with the second game day of the Victorian Mixed Ultimate League and took this as a chance to make a difference.
The club is teaming up with Zaidee’s Rainbow Foundation to raise money for national organ and tissue donation awareness.
Ballarat Ultimate vice-president Leah Cushion said this was the first time the club had taken on a campaign, but Zaidee’s story and legacy seemed the right fit.
“Zaidee was just a kid when she tragically died, but she’d registered as an organ donor and saved seven lives in the process,” Ms Cushion said. “We’ve got a lot of juniors in our club and this could be something they relate to more, in helping to raise awareness.”
Ms Cushion said the club was keen to become more involved in the community and players wanted to contribute more to their town, which in turn they hoped would help raise the profile of what their club is about.
Ultimate, using flying discs, is a non-contact and self-refereed sport with an emphasis on playing in the spirit of the game.
Ballarat boasts five teams at regional and national level.
The club will sell Zaidee’s trademark rainbow laces at its tournament central at Doug Lindsay Reserve on Saturday, where there will also be additional information about becoming an organ donor.
Only 19 per cent of Victorians have registered on the Australian Organ Donor Register even though almost 70 per cent of Victorians have indicated they are willing to become organ and tissue donors, according to DonateLife Victoria. More than 70 per cent say they would be willing to accept a transplant.
Zaidee was the only child under-16 registered to donate her organs when she died, aged seven, in 2004.
Rainbow shoelaces represent hope, for after every storm the sun shines and there is a rainbow. For those people on the transplant waiting list, the rainbow symbol offers them hope
Details: zaidee.org