Pong competition for worthy cause

Through the fun of ping pong a Bunbury community group is helping combat one of the world’s most prominent and serious issues.

For its third year, a “Ping Pong-a-thon” will be held in Bunbury to raise awareness and money for victims of sexual exploitation and human trafficking.

Starting at 6pm next Friday, the Vineyard Auditorium will come alive for 24 hours with teams battling it out in three-hour ping pong relays.

Event coordinator Tim Wheeldon said the event was not only fun, but a great way to connect with other people and “make a difference in the world”.

“This is about dealing with an issue that affects the lives of millions of people, particularly children around the world,” Mr Wheeldon said.

“It stirred my heart, that we can do something to make a difference.”

Given that men were typically the main perpetrators of the problem, the event had previously been directed at them, but Mr Wheeldon said women were “just as much affected” and for the first time were invited to participate.

Mr Wheeldon said he was hoping this year’s event would attract about 40 competitors and raise $10,000.

The Bunbury tournament will be one of 60 around the country raising money for nine different agencies combating human trafficking and sex trade in areas like South East Asia.

Mr Wheeldon said the work was often high risk but feedback from agencies had indicated the money raised from Ping Pong-a-thons were making a huge difference.

Go to www.pingpongathon.com to register.