Play4Pele is being held as a fundraiser for 14-year-old Grande Prairie resident Erin Pelé (Photo: Facebook / play4pele)

By Shaun Penner

Play4Pele

Play4Pelé set to raise money for Grande Prairie leukemia fighter

Jun 15, 2019 | 6:52 AM

A co-ed 3-on-3 beach volleyball tournament is being held next weekend as a fundraising effort for local teen Erin Pelé, who is going through a battle with PH+ High-Risk Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia at the age of 14.

Play4Pelé goes June 21-23 at the South Bear Creek courts for U13/14, U15 and 16+ age groups of ladies or co-ed teams. All the proceeds raised will go towards the Pelé family to help with medical costs associated with Erin’s treatment.

The idea behind having a beach volleyball tournament as a fundraiser makes nothing but sense to co-organizer for the tournament Shannon Horrelt, who is also a family friend of the Pelés.

“I was watching what Erin was going through and the changes she had to face and, for the first time, having to miss the sport she loves,” said Horrelt. “We decided to have a beach volleyball tournament because it celebrates her and her life and the things she loves.”

Pelé is an avid volleyball player, who plays for Charles Spencer High School, as well as competitive club and beach volleyball all throughout the year. She also enjoys swimming and has completed her bronze medallion just last summer.

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Pelé with her club volleyball team (Photo: Facebook / play4pele)

She has also been one to give back to her community. As a keen reader, she has organized school-wide book exchanges for multiple fundraisers and volunteered as a reading buddy at the public library.

Her busy and active lifestyle hit a bit of a bend in the road though in August of 2018, after she had noticed a lump in her neck. After that was checked out by doctors, she was quickly flown to the Stollery Children’s Hospital in Edmonton for treatment.

Since that time, there have been many trips to and from Edmonton for her and her family over the past 10 months. But through it all, Horrelt notes her very positive and uplifting attitude.

“You take all of her achievements and she’s just such a beautiful person. It’s hard to see how much this is impacting her. She is just sunshine, through and through.”

The Pelé family of Grande Prairie (Photo: Facebook / play4pele)

According to a brief autobiography written by Pelé and submitted to EverythingGP, she is scheduled to continue chemotherapy treatments until September of 2020, by which time she is hoping to be cleared of her illness. By which time, she plans to be celebrating her victory over the disease.

“I plan to celebrate that milestone in my typical fashion: with a huge smile and thankfulness in my heart.”

You can follow Play4Pele on Facebook for full event details. There is also an online auction setup, with bidding open until noon on June 23 on a wide variety of items. All items will be on display at the tournament grounds. Donations are also being accepted via e-transfer to play4pele@outlook.com.

Limited spots are still available for teams at all age levels. If you are interested in putting a team into the tournament, you can register your team through the email address above. A minimum donation is required to register a team.