The Detroit Jewish News’s Ashley Zlatopolsky reports that Red Wings assistant GM and director of player development Kris Draper will be taking part in a pickleball tournament on August 4th to benefit the Friendship Circle:
On Aug. 4, Pickleball for Friendship will return for its second year running. The pickleball fundraiser, which will be held at The Sports Club of West Bloomfield, will raise funds to support Friendship Circle, a Jewish nonprofit organization that offers programming and services for individuals with special needs.
Event organizer and longtime Friendship Circle volunteer Jennifer Lovy raised $17,000 at last year’s debut pickleball fundraiser. This year, her goal is to up that number to $20,000. Proceeds will be donated in full to Friendship Circle’s Walk4Friendship, an annual 5K walk that raises funds and community awareness for the organization.
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Last year’s sold-out event saw 50 players and 30 spectators. Lovy hopes for an even bigger year. The Sunday morning fundraiser will allow pickleball fans to test their skills against local celebrities and ranked players for a $200 donation, while friends and family who simply want to cheer players on can attend for a $40 donation.
The 2024 fundraiser’s superstar pickleball players include former Detroit Red Wing Kris Draper, former Detroit Lion Scott Kowalkowski, local pickleball pro Nick Meyer and U.S. Open Gold Medalist Dee Geelhood, among others.
There is also an online auction with numerous prizes, including pickleball and tennis lessons, a sunset sail on Lake St. Clair and the chance to play pickleball with Draper. Anyone can bid in the online auction, and not just registered pickleball players.
Continued; on the auction page, there are two slots for the pickleball-with-Draper games, which start at $1,000(!), but there’s also a lunch with Mike “Stoney” Stone, which starts at $150, and a signed Dylan Larkin photo, which starts at only $40.
