Volleyball club raises thousands for fallen Atlanta high school player

Dream Chasers’ ‘Justice for Amanda’ fundraiser established for Southwest DeKalb athlete who collapsed, died after ambulance never showed

The Dream Chasers volleyball club in College Park, Ga., has established a fundraiser for Southwest DeKalb High athlete, Amanda Sylvester, who collapsed at a practice and later died at a local hospital after an ambulance failed to show. / Dream Chasers Volleyball Club & Athletics

It has been almost a week since Amanda Sylvester, 15, collapsed during a club volleyball practice and later died at a hospital after an ambulance failed to show.

But the Atlanta high school volleyball community has not forgotten the impact that this Southwest DeKalb High sophomore had on others.

On Tuesday, Dream Chasers executive director Collette Bagwell announced that the club has raised $12,381 in a gofundme fundraiser on Instagram named “Justice for Amanda.” The club has a goal of $500,000, with all proceeds going toward Amanda’s funeral arrangements, legal fees and any personal needs the family has at this time.

“Amanda was more than just a player – she was family, too,” according to a statement on the fundraising page. “When Amanda needed support the most, help never came. We are determined to stand in the gap and ensure her story is heard. We will not let her loss be in vain. We humbly ask for your support.”

Dream Chasers club officials said Amanda played for Southwest DeKalb’s junior varsity volleyball team this fall and was on the club’s 16 Purple team, which competed in a variety of tournaments, including AAU.

Amanda also saw some time on Southwest DeKalb’s varsity volleyball team as DeKalb County volleyball statistics show her recording 30 kills, nine blocks and two assists in 17 matches played.

Southwest DeKalb, located just 13 miles east of Downtown Atlanta, is in an area  that features some of the best volleyball talent in the nation.

The Greater Atlanta volleyball community and beyond, including the Southern Region Volleyball Association, have expressed deep condolences at the loss of Amanda.

Amanda had gone into physical distress and collapsed during warmups for the Dream Chasers volleyball club on Thursday, Dec. 5, at the Tracey Wyatt Recreation Complex, according to a story by Atlanta News First.

Although first responders from the College Park Fire Department and other medical services responded quickly, Grady EMS “never fully responded” to a request for an ambulance, according to a statement from College Park officials given to the media.

Sylvester was able to speak to emergency responders at the scene, according to the statement, but the teen never received assistance from an ambulance after repeated calls for help and more than a 1-hour wait. Finally, Amanda was loaded into her mother’s van and transported to the hospital, where she subsequently went into cardiac arrest and revived once before dying.

“It’s a sad situation,” Bagwell told High School on SI.

Dream Chasers Volleyball Club coach Catherine Murray called the ambulance delay “unacceptable,” in an interview with Atlanta News First.

“We have precious lives in our hands, and we’re responsible for these precious lives,” she said. “We have to have a better network and system to protect these kids.”

The absence of an ambulance in an emergency situation has prompted city officials to investigate.

“We are all devastated by this tragic loss of life at such a young age,” Dr. Emmanuel Adediran, College Park’s city manager told Atlanta News First. “Our Recreation and Cultural Affairs Department staff, College Park Fire Rescue as well as the volleyball club coaches, parents and staff followed all protocols related to an injury or health care distress.”

“Our deepest and heartfelt sympathies go out to the young woman’s family, friends and teammates,” city officials added.

In a statement obtained by Atlanta News First, Grady EMS said the initial call was categorized as a situation with “low acuity,” or low severity.

“A College Park Fire unit responded to the scene and was equipped to provide medical care and transport if necessary. Following an update on the patient’s condition, the call was reclassified, and a Grady EMS unit was promptly dispatched,” the ambulance service said. “However, as our unit was en route, College Park Fire determined that additional EMS support was no longer needed due to the patient being transported to the hospital via personal vehicle.”

Poor response times by ambulance in Grady County has been a problem for a while now. Atlanta News First did an investigation in 2022 that showed that Grady’s average monthly response time for critical calls was between 22 and 29 minutes, and between 46 and 89 minutes for less urgent calls, according to state reports.

Former College Park Fire Department Chief Wade Elmore told Atlanta News First in 2023 that an antiquated system that determines proper routing of an ambulance to take a patient to a hospital has eroded response times. Elmore said a patient can be forced to wait for close to an hour before receiving an ambulance from Grady EMS.

“We cannot transport them unless it’s a life-threatening situation,” he said. “... A patient who had mild chest pain, where we had to sit on scene and wait for an ambulance — after 20 minutes or so, conditions changed, the person has gone into cardiac arrest.”

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--- Follow Jeff Gardenour on Twitter @JMarkG1962 or email him at jgardenour1962@gmail.com