Volleyball tournament raises money for suicide prevention
Ron Sparks with the winners of the Adult AA Division.
On August 1, the eighth annual Micah Sparks Memorial Volleyball Tournament was held at Founders Park in Castle Rock.
Micah died by suicide on August 21, 2018.
“My wife, Kahala, and I have held this tournament in honor and memory of him, and to raise funds for the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention (AFSP) and Camp IdRaHaJe, a Christian youth camp in Bailey that Micah used to attend,” said Ron Sparks.
The volleyball club Ron and Kahala created, Sparks Volleyball, hosts the tournament.
This year boasted the largest turnout of players and the largest fundraising efforts: 260 youth and adult volleyball players competed on 44 volleyball nets.
“We raised a net of $28,000 and donated $15,000 of that to AFSP,” added Ron. “The remaining $13,000 went to a designated fund at IdRaHaJe where they hope to build a new turf field for sports activities.”
“The Sparks family has done an incredible service to our community by creating this annual event as well as a volleyball club that strives to not just be competitive, but build confidence and character in our youth,” said volunteer and HOA2 resident Rachel Goodman.
Sparks Volleyball covered the majority of the expenses of the tournament, but sponsors like Black Rock Coffee Bar, Chick-Fil-A of Castle Rock and Volleyball of the Rockies provided lunch and volleyball nets.
Ron concluded that the tournament attracts volleyball players from around Colorado. “It’s truly the volleyball community at its finest in a display of unity for a great cause.”
For more information, visit sparksvolleyball.org.
Volleyball players going up for the spike at the eighth annual Micah Sparks Memorial Volleyball Tournament.
