Description
With your gracious donation, the Tulane Clinical Translational Unit (CTU) and Tulane Human Research Protection Office (HRPO) will host the first annual "Play It Forward" charity tournament at Coconut Beach Sand Volleyball Complex on September 26th, 2021 to combat homelessness in our community.
The COVID-19 pandemic brought great challenges for the people of New Orleans, but the unspoken victims of this public health crisis are those affected by housing instability. Both Orleans and Jefferson parishes experienced exponential increases in homelessness as a result of loss of employment and housing. Many of those newly affected by homelessness are citizens with disabilities, the elderly, veterans, those affected by health disparities, and children.
Self-care and personal hygiene are significant obstacles for people experiencing homelessness-- increasing risk for infectious diseases, skin infections, parasitic infestations, and exacerbations of chronic diseases. Additionally, personal hygiene improves mental health and likelihood of transitioning out of homelessness. Through our relationship with the health community in New Orleans, the Tulane CTU and Tulane HRPO are uniquely positioned to help these individuals by providing personal care items to homeless shelters across greater New Orleans.
Your donation will support our fundraiser at Coconut Beach. The goal of "Play It Forward" will be to raise money for our Tulane CTU and HRPO homeless outreach program, which directly benefits the homeless community and helps support public health in the Greater New Orleans area.
If you have any questions, please contact us at playitforward@wave.tulane.edu
Donations are applied to...
Every year, Tulane CTU sponsors a holiday homeless outreach initiative by assembling hundreds of care packages and dispersing them to several shelters in the New Orleans area. In order to accommodate the increased population of people experiencing homelessness due to the severe economic impacts of COVID-19, we are seeking to exponentially expand our charitable initiative.
This year, Tulane CTU and Tulane HRPO have partnered together with Coconut Beach Volleyball Complex to host the first annual "Play It Forward" charity tournament to combat homelessness in New Orleans. The tournament will take place Sunday, September 26th with registration starting at 10am and play beginning at 11am. We anticipate as many as 100 teams entering the tournament with 6 players per team. Along with its premier outdoor beach volleyball courts, Coconut Beach Volleyball Complex also hosts a full menu and bar as well as a “beer garden” where the Saints game will be played live at the complex during the tournament. It will be a day of fun in the spirit of charity.
All tournament proceeds will be used to purchase supplies for care packages that will be directly dispersed to the homeless community this holiday season. The Tulane CTU program supplies local shelters with personal care items like socks and underwear, toiletries, menstrual supplies, and oral care products, helping these individuals maintain comfort and regain stability in a difficult time.
Personal Message
It is impossible to live in New Orleans or the surrounding areas without witnessing homelessness throughout our community. When we consider homelessness in New Orleans, we often think of the extreme in which people are living on the streets or under a highway overpass. However, individuals experiencing homelessness do not always fit the stereotypical lens in which we as a society often place them. The single parent trying to decide how to use their last dollars to feed their children. The university student that lives in their car because they cannot afford rent on top of every other expense. The small RV parked in the back of a store parking lot; they aren’t on vacation. Homelessness is everywhere, even if it is not directly in plain sight. The COVID-19 pandemic brought even more challenges for individuals struggling with homelessness. Due to the exponential increases in housing instability because of the COVID-19 pandemic, we want to do more for the community we call home.
Why are donations necessary?
The Tulane Clinical Translational Unit and Tulane Human Research Protection Office facilitate research for the Tulane University School of Medicine and its faculty. Our philanthropic endeavors are targeted to help serve the homeless in our community, many of whom participate in our research programs.
At Tulane, “Non sibi, sed suis” (Not for oneself, but for one's own) is more than a motto. Many perceive clinical research as predatory and opportunistic, but we at Tulane work hand in hand with the community to improve outcomes for vulnerable populations. Our department does more than test drugs and draw lab samples. We provide care to those who otherwise have no options for receiving healthcare or treating rare or terminal diseases, and foster relationships with those who are at greatest risk for poor health outcomes.
This project is a natural extension of our everyday work in the community health sector and will allow us to give back to our patients and our community. This year, our community outreach charity goals have exponentially increased to accommodate the growing number of people experiencing housing instability. Your donation will make it possible to reach this larger capacity of individuals experiencing homelessness through the Tulane CTU and Tulane HRPO's first annual "Play It Forward" tournament to combat homelessness.