REGIONAL
matters
Grand Rapids Pickleball
Club Helps Local
Community with
Food Drive
S
ince its inception in 2012, the Grand Rapids Pickleball
Club has made an annual contribution to the local
community of Belknap, site of the Beer City Open. One
of the nonprofit agencies it has firmly supported is the
North End Community Ministry, which donates food
and personal care items to nearly 750 families each month.
So far this year, the club, whose members play on 15 premier
pickleball courts just blocks from the ministry, has collected
close to 30,000 pounds of food. Belknap is a low-income
family community with needs that extend well beyond food and
Kids’ Club
F
or many years, Bill White was a fixture on the pickleball
courts in Dallas, OR, a small community just outside
the capital city of Salem. After winning the first point
of each match he played in, he would say, “Do you give
up yet?” That same attitude resonated with everyone as
Bill suffered from the
effects of cancer. After
many years of battling
the disease, it claimed
his life, but his spirit
lives on in the Salem
personal care items. “We started our yearly drive on Memorial
Day and to our surprise, we soon collected the equivalent of
just over 16,000 lbs. of food and personal care items with both
real items and monetary gifts,” said Frank Graves, USAPA
member and chairman of the food drive.
The Grand Rapids Pickleball Club’s annual food drive is just
a small sampling of what the sport and its players are doing
to make the communities in which they live better for all the
residents.
community. The pickleball courts were dedicated and named in
his honor. Nearly 100 people attended the ceremony, including
many members of Bill’s family.
As part of the Dallas City Park system, the Bill White Courts
recently hosted a Kids’ Club where youngsters ages 8-14
played the popular sport on the four courts at the nearly
two-year-old facility. Bill White was instrumental in the
development and construction of the courts before passing
away last winter.
Pickleball enthusiasts and volunteers were on hand and
taught the kids the fundamentals of the sport, conducted
various drills, and capped off the festivities with a round-
robin tournament. Each participant received a mini pickleball
keychain, while the top three players from the tournament
earned medals.
No doubt Bill White is smiling down on the courts as those
representing the future of the game enjoy the sport as much as
he did. And, hopefully, no one will “give up yet.”
Continued on page 63 >
JULY/AUGUST 2019 |
MAGAZINE
61