First Book Canada’s ninth annual ping-pong fundraiser returns in all its pong-tacular glory to promote higher education and literacy access for children
By: Anna-Giselle Funes-Eng
Teams Pongflict and Double Double (left to right) face off at Pongapalooza in Toronto, on Nov. 8, 2022. (Anna-Giselle Funes-Eng/Canculture)
Neon-orange ping-pong balls whirl around the room at lightning speed as triumphant cheers break out. In an epic table-top battle, teams duke it out at Pongapalooza, First Book Canada’s ninth annual charity event, competing in high-stakes games to fight for equal access to educational resources for children.
Taking place at SPiN Toronto on Nov. 8, this was the first tournament held in-person since 2019. It had open tables for rounds of ping pong, donate-to-play side games, a silent auction and even a ping pong-themed craft table lined with tubes of glitter glue. The room was buzzing with energy as ping-pong players went all-in, diving with paddles outstretched to return the rally.
"The best thing about this event is that it's all for fun," said Tom Best, former executive director of First Book Canada who helped originate the event back in 2012.
Over 10 teams competed this year, with some dressing in group costumes to win more prizes, including signed books from featured authors. Teachers from Lord Dufferin Public School competed in full Toronto Raptor’s gear, with one woman donning an inflatable T-Rex costume. For their excellence in costuming, they ended their night with arms full of gift baskets and the title of best dressed.
It was RBC Capital Markets, though, who walked away as the reigning Pongapalooza 2022 champs. The bank bros of the boardroom conquered until the end, and kept their trophy they first won in 2019.
The two-time reigning champions, RBC Capital Markets, maintain their ping-pong master status at Pongapalooza in Toronto on Nov. 8, 2022. (Anna-Giselle Funes-Eng/Canculture)
The event has been a major component in First Book Canada’s fundraising, having raised $280,000 since 2012, according to their website. The funds go towards providing under-served children with books, school supplies, winter coats and more.
Since the beginning of the pandemic, pre-existing educational disparities have worsened, according to Heather Farquharson, the current executive director at First Book Canada. She said there is an increased need for educational resources to ensure all children have equal access when more than one-third of kids in Canadian public schools come from low-income households.
“Our work is even more important with the learning loss than it ever has been,” said Farquharson.
According to First Book Canada, almost 25 per cent of Canadian households don’t have a single book. Their work aims to reduce that number, and they say they have already provided over seven million books and other resources to those who need them. Through partnering with smaller educational organizations across the country, they are able to reach hundreds of thousands of children.
One of those organizations is Books With Wings, an entirely volunteer-run organization that provides children on remote Indigenous reserves with books, connecting with them through letters. Thanks in part to their partnership with First Book Canada, they have been able to send new books to at least 1,200 children since they began 10 years ago, according to founder Anna Rosner.
“Books offer a world to children that they might not otherwise have access to,” Rosner said. “With an education, there’s a much better chance the child will be able to eventually see the world and experience it the way he or she wants to.”
Creating educational equity makes room for children to dream, Rosner said.
Instilling a life-long love for reading begins at a young age, as both Books with Wings and First Book Canada believe. While ping-pong may have been all about the serves, the money raised will continue to serve children and close educational gaps across the country to ensure that all children have the chance to learn and thrive.