Special to IFN
Three long-serving local nonprofit organizations are joining forces to present the 1st Annual Serving Hope Community Pickleball Tournament on Saturday, March 15, at Caldwell Park in Statesville.
Player check-in will begin at 8 a.m. and tournament play will continue throughout the day.
G4G Ministries, Foundation of Hope Ministries, and the Boys & Girls Club of the Piedmont are partners in this charitable fundraising event. All proceeds from the tournament will be used to fund community-based services that focus on children and families living in marginalized neighborhoods in the Statesville area.
The Statesville Police Department has joined the non-profits as a community partner agency and will be providing security, parking control, and distributing free resource materials and information to attendees at the event.
Matt Murdock, youth pastor at Troutman Baptist Church and an avid pickleball enthusiast is the tournament director.
“I am delighted to assist these organizations who are providing life-changing support services to the children and families in our community that need our support most,” Murdock said. “Our planning committee is dedicated to providing a tournament that will be well planned, efficiently organized, and provide fun and fellowship for the players and their families.”
The tournament will include men’s and women’s doubles divisions and brackets for beginners, intermediate and advanced skill levels. Registration for the tournament is $40 per player and includes lunch provided by G4G.
Event planners are also including an online silent auction to support the tournament and a split-the-pot drawing at the event. Spectators and supporters are welcome. There is no admission fee to watch the tournament.
Cory Knight, executive director of the Boys & Girls Club, said his organization is grateful for the partnership with G4G Ministries and Foundation of Hope Ministries.
“These partners work with the Club on several initiatives and events throughout the year to provide direct services to our parents, children, and the greater community,” he said.
For the past two years, Foundation of Hope Ministries and G4G Ministries have jointly sponsored the Community Fun Day event, a day-long field day experience, on the campus of the Boys & Girls Club. Last summer, the event, which includes free games, water slides, bouncy houses, music, and food, attracted 52 community agencies and more than 1,000 attendees. The event is the highlight of the summer for many children from the surrounding community.
Brad Bullock, executive director of G4G Ministries; Karen Kidd, executive director of Foundation of Hope Ministries; and Pam Navey, part-time community resource coordinator for the Statesville Police Department round out the members of the planning committee.
LEARN MORE
Event sponsors, players and volunteers are being recruited for the 1st Annual Serving Hope Community Pickleball Tournament. For more details on how you or your organization can support this event or register to play, visit www.piedmontbgc.org/pickleball or call 704-397-2429.
