Colorado ladies are using pickleball as a basis for a charity looking to introduce the sport to more participants and also journeying to Bhutan to teach pickleball there.
“I Was Just Obsessed”
The founder of the nonprofit Pickleball For Good™ Susan Swern, says of the sport, “After just playing once or twice, I was just obsessed,”
And the PFG slogan “Pickleball is more than a game- it’s a gamechanger™” says it all.
Swern views pickleball as a means to create social, economic, physical, and emotional equality, something she explained in more detail to cbsnews.com:
“I think it mostly is the joy. When I get on the court, even if I’ve missed a hit or whatever, I just laugh. I have joy.”
“Our mission is to harness the power of pickleball to support underserved communities.”
Read more of our articles about pickleball-related charities and charitable events here.
Big Plans
Nancy Clark and Cheryl Lovell also have big plans to spread a little bit of pickleball happiness to others. Nancy describes why she is such a fan: “Because it’s such a little court, it’s easy to play,”
While Cheryl provides us with an interesting insight: “You have a tendency to think, ‘Oh, I can just slam this over.’ And the better choice is to do a soft dink,”
Bhutan
Bhutan, bordering India to the southwest and China to the north, is investing in pickleball as a prospective Olympic sport, and Lovell and Clark will form part of a U.S. delegation traveling there to offer pickleball lessons.
Clark explains, “We’re teaching people how to teach, so I think that’s great that we’re leaving a group that can keep it going and teach the community,”
Clark and Lovell have taken donated sneakers, socks, paddles, and balls with them. They will be in Bhutan through mid-September.
Further investigation has revealed they are not the first to take pickleball to Bhutan! Watch this video clip to find out more.
Pickleball for Good™
Swern, out of Lafayette, Colorado, founded Pickleball for Good™ back in January of this year. She talks about her philanthropic endeavors on LinkedIn:
“Little did I know that I was a budding professional fundraiser at 8 or 9 when I raised $200 using a piggy bank to buy our beloved Yorkie Benji or when I got more excited about filling my UNICEF box than my candy bag at Halloween.
“After 35 years in nonprofit resource development, I am still moved by how caring, engaged, and philanthropic donors can be. The causes I have championed have mostly been in human/social services and advocacy, international environmental justice… and now, pickleball!”
She also tells us how Pickleball For Good™ came about:
“Pickleball For Good™ is launching in early 2024 as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit charity to leverage the power of pickleball to transform lives, underserved communities, and our shared planet.
“Our game plan is to provide funds and resources to Pickleball For Good GameChangers™ and EcoChampions who are leveling the playing field in their communities – on and off the court – through the fastest growing sport in the U.S.
Visit them at pickleballforgood.org
Swern has also launched the Lavender Pickleball Club. As she says, “We wanted to start a pickleball community that has an inherent openness – you can be whoever you want to be.”
“We wanted people to come and feel safe playing, no matter their ability, sexuality, size, or race.”
We will take a closer look at the Lavender Pickleball Club in a subsequent article.
Click here for more of our Colorado-related pickleball stories.
