Telethon 2025: Ossie Indoor Beach Volleyball embark on creative 24-hour marathon to raise funds in unique way
Digging, setting and nailing non-stop for 24 hours may seem like a nightmare to some, but this is one of hundreds of unique fundraisers taking place in the lead-up to the Telethon.
Ossie Indoor Beach Volleyball is hosting its first 24-hour volleyball marathon this weekend to raise vital funds for some of WA’s most vulnerable children.
Owner Adam Burling said the idea for “volleyball” initially came about to boost the sport’s profile by hosting a social fundraising event.
“When we started figuring out why we would connect to the community, everyone thought of Telethon,” he said.
More than 220 people signed up and pre-sales of special jerseys for the event skyrocketed.
Players can also purchase tickets for a major raffle sponsored by local businesses who donate their products to offset the prize.
Chatting just three hours before the big day, Mr Burling said the event was already firmly taking shape.
“We have six active courts with about 50 to 60 people playing as we speak,” he said.
“That will increase to about 100 to 150 in a few hours.”
Mr. Burling said in the “innovation section” on Saturday night that the games would undergo several changes, one of which could include playing with a beach ball.
This may only be their first year, but he said the volleyball community immediately rallied around the idea and hopes to pass the hosting baton to other indoor beach volleyball centers in the coming years.
“As a Western Australian, (Telethon) is a point of pride,” Mr Burling said.
“Everybody pulls together and gets behind the cause. I think it’s a really easy thing to get behind.”
This is just one of many community fundraisers across WA ahead of this year’s Telethon weekend.
Build-a-Bear workshops, bake sales, a 30-hour run, a CrossFit fundraiser, a Dance-a-thon, a stair-climbing challenge and more are among the large and small fundraisers and events to raise money for the 161 beneficiaries supported by Telethon.
The Telethon will take over the RAC Arena for 26 hours from next Saturday night and will be broadcast live on 7 and 7plus.
