Paradise table tennis tournament raises well over $1K for Alzheimer's research

The sounds of paddles hitting balls echoed throughout the Paradise Rotary Youth Community Centre on Saturday — all in the name of raising money for Alzheimer's research.

About 50 people took part in the charity table tennis tournament, far more than the organizers initially expected when registration opened a few weeks ago.

"Which is really amazing. Our goal was 30, but we overshot it by a long way," said Kevin Guo, founder of TT4ever, a non-profit organization that promotes table tennis through lessons and tournaments.

The event was organized by the Ontario-based TT4ever and the Newfoundland and Labrador Table Tennis Association, where Jeremy Lehr is an executive.

"Between the minimum donation of $20 and some athletes actually giving back their prize money that they won and outside people donating, you know, we've definitely raised over $1,000," said Lehr, who is also the head coach of the province's table tennis team.

Lehr some donations have yet to be counted, while Guo said the money will go to the Alzheimer Society of Canada and will likely be used in research.

The tournament was open to players of all levels, said Lehr, with participants ranging from eight years old up into their 60s.

Lehr said he and Guo met at the 2023 Canada Winter Games on Prince Edward Island, where Guo was on the Ontario table tennis team and Lehr coached the team from Newfoundland and Labrador.

They connected and started chatting online, when Guo explained TT4Ever and that he'd like to host a tournament in this province, said Lehr.

"After a few months of planning, he ended up coming down and we put together this beautiful tournament," Lehr said.

Nicholas Hiscock was the overall winner of the tournament, earning the $100 top prize — but he