Tech Pong: Blender Rallies for A Good Cause

It turns out that tech and ping pong go together like Beyonce and Jay-Z. Around the Blender headquarters, we enjoy a healthy dose of competition every now and then. If it’s for a good cause, all the better. That’s why when we heard about Tech Pong, a charity ping pong tournament put on by the folks at Charitable Impact, we knew we had to get on board. To enter the tournament, teams had to fulfil one objective: raise $2000 towards a charity of their choice. Naturally, we set out to do just that.

The fundraising was where the real fun began. We chose Covenant House Vancouver as our beneficiary because of the important work that they do to support at-risk youth in our community. Then we put our heads together and organized a number of charity events around the office. We channelled our inner 12-year-old with a classic jelly bean guessing contest, organized an office poker tournament, and put together a building-wide bake sale. The whole team came together to push past the fundraising finish line and place our donation. It felt good to give back. Now, it was time to focus on our game.

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Spirits were high on the day of the event. Matt and Dustin, two developers, represented us for the doubles division, while our accounts manager, Malcolm, represented us in singles. “This might be one of the coolest things we’ve ever done,” said Erica, one of our project managers, as the excitement mounted.

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In between matches, we tested our strength, endurance, and even our mind-control aptitude at the various retrofuturistic installations situated around the venue. Finally, it was our chance to shine. We gave it our best, but the competition was fierce. Even after our defeat, we shared smiles and popcorn all around, and our hearts were full. Congrats to the Copperleaf and Microsoft Vancouver teams for taking home the golden paddles. It was amazing to see their world-class skills in action.

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As the event began to wind down, we left, reflecting on the real prize: the small, but important, bit of good we’d done to give back to our local community. The Blender team managed to raise $2,187. Altogether, Tech Pong raised a whopping $65,000—and that is nothing to scoff at. We tip our hats to Charitable Impact for the vital work they are doing to serve the people of our city, and look forward to moving up the rankings at next year’s tournament!

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Maria Stanciulescu
Maria Stanciulescu

Maria is a digital designer who loves outdoor adventures, house plants, and rare vintage finds.