Players and referees from the Intrust Super Cup will don Zaidee’s Rainbow Shoelaces this weekend to drive organ and tissue donation awareness as part of the QRL’s charity partnership with the Zaidee’s Foundation.
The initiative aims to “inspire discussion” about a subject that will be forever close to the heart of Foundation CEO Allan Turner, who established the organisation not long after the passing of his seven-year-old daughter Zaidee in 2004.
Mr Turner now dedicates much of his life to the cause, and is absolutely thrilled that the QRL has dedicated a full round of Major Competition fixtures to the initiative for the second year running.
“This is a fantastic partnership that highlights the importance of organ and tissue donation to the wider community,” Mr Turner said.
“The call of action is to all families to start a discussion about your wishes in becoming an organ and tissue donor.”
QRL Head of Football Neil Wharton said the Zaidee’s Foundation Round would feature seven big Intrust Super Cup games over the course of the weekend.
“It’s still only early days in the competition, but this is a crucial weekend for many teams,” Mr Wharton said.
“Some clubs are still chasing their first win, while others are looking to consolidate their spot in the top half of the table.
“There is a lot at stake, but perhaps the most pleasing part about having feature weekends like the Zaidee’s Rainbow Foundation Round is that it brings some perspective to things.”
Mr Wharton encouraged the rugby league community to heed the Foundation’s message, which will be a feature of Channel Nine’s coverage of the Redcliffe Dolphins v Ipswich Jets game on Sunday.
Intrust Super Cup players will wear rainbow shoelaces, while the match officials at Dolphin Oval will don the Foundation’s eye-catching socks.
Mr Turner said every little bit of publicity was critical to the overall success of the campaign.
“We’re coming off a record year with 1448 Australians given a second chance at life in 2016 because of the generosity of 503 organ donors,” he said.
“This was a fantastic result, but we’re always looking to improve these figures and support from major organisations like the QRL will only help us reach our targets.”
Background: Zaidee Rose Alexander Turner – aged seven years and 22 days – died suddenly in 2004 from a burst blood vessel in her brain called a cerebral aneurysm.
Zaidee’s parents, Kim and Allan, founded Zaidee’s Rainbow Foundation not long after.
At the time of Zaidee’s death, the Turner family had been registered organ and tissue donors for five years. As a result, Zaidee donated her organs and tissues at the Royal Children’s Hospital, as were her wishes at the time.
From this gift, the lives of seven people were improved and, in some cases, saved.
Visit the Zaidee’s Foundation website for more details.
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