POWWR members participated in the Food Bank of Waterloo Region’s Sorting Blitz, sorting 4,338 pounds of non-perishable food. This provides about 3,389 essential meals for neighbours in Waterloo region struggling to make ends meet. Thanks to POWWR members for lending a helping hand.
POWWR’s 2022 end of year Food Drive was a big success. Mary-Lou Boulanger donated original works of art with all proceeds going to the Food Bank of Waterloo Region. The total monetary and food donations collected from everyone will provide 2,914 meals. That translates to 3 meals/day for a family of 4 for 8 months! Thank you POWWR members for your generosity!
Pickleball is in the spotlight
CBC prepared a feature on the growth of Pickleball in our community, and the need for additional courts to meet the demand. The full article with pictures is found here, featuring POWWR members and POWWR Board members. The audio portion with Craig Norris and Joe Pavia aired on October 11th, 2022 is available below.
POWWR participates in the Food Bank’s Sorting Blitz
On Saturday April 9th, POWWR Board Members and friends sorted 3,189 pounds of food providing 2,491 meals to members of our community. One in 20 households seek support from the Waterloo Region Food Bank, and the volunteers ‘powered’ through to sort 6 large bins of food in 2 hours.
Donations for the Women’s Crisis Centre of Waterloo Region
Through the generosity of skills clinic and tournament participants, POWWR was able to collect a significant amount of items needed by the Women’s Crisis Centre of Waterloo Region.
Red Cross: Stop the Spread and Stay Safe at Home Program
POWWR was approved for the Red Cross Stop the Spread and Stay Safe at Home Program. As of March 8, 2022, POWWR is distributing Rapid Antigen Test kits free of charge to event participants. This is in addition to the KN95 masks also secured via the Red Cross.
POWWR supports the Food Bank of Waterloo Region
POWWR Board Members and friends sorted 2,721 pounds of food on November 6, 2021. This provides 2,126 meals to members of our community and will be distributed by the Food Bank of Waterloo Region.
POWWR Lights Up Courtland Public School
Pickleball of Waterloo Wellington Region (POWWR) donated free pickleball equipment to Courtland Public School in Kitchener. The gift of free pickleball equipment was initiated through the World Pickleball Day program. The World Pickleball Federation, Gamma Sports, and Franklin Sports generously donated over $1,400 worth of paddles and pickleballs to POWWR. POWWR looked for a local school where the pickleball equipment could be used and enjoyed, and chose Courtland Public School to receive the equipment.
Courtland Public School has over 200 grade 7 and 8 students that speak 40 languages. Teachers Sandy Falco and Allison Moore broke open the box and had the students trying out pickleball for the first time. Allison said “Thank you so much for helping Sandy and I get this all organized. It’s so amazing. We are so appreciative! The students that played yesterday were begging for more today.”
Pickleball Paddle Donations
POWWR collected new and gently used paddles and donated a class set to a local high school. Principal Cathy Vollmer-Ashley and Physical Education teacher Cody Roberts are seen here with a few of the donated paddles. The paddles will be used to rotate through the local high schools.
POWWR would like to thank everyone who gave up an extra paddle for the schools, you rock! Donations arrived from Brantford, Kitchener, Waterloo, London, Guelph and as far away as Naples, Florida.
Pickleball Ontario Youth Initiative
Over the past few months, pickleball in the Waterloo Region has included a focus on youth.
In conjunction with the Kitchener Downtown Community Centre, POWWR (Pickleball of Waterloo Wellington Region) and Pickleball Ontario, two elementary schools and three high schools participated in instructor led introductory pickleball experiences. In total 350 students from Suddaby Public School, King Edward Public School, Huron Heights Secondary School, Kitchener Waterloo Collegiate and Vocational School and Waterloo Collegiate Institute participated.
In total 350 students from grades 4 to 12 were exposed to the game to rave reviews. The participants learned game play and strategy, and some had the opportunity to play in a mini-tournament.
The intention of Pickleball Ontario is to foster the game of pickleball for all ages and abilities. These youth clinics will be offered again in 2020 to reach more students in the province.
Here are a few testimonials from recent participants at the youth clinics:
“I learned a lot at the clinic and I plan to play pickleball in the future.” Lauren
“The pickleball field trip was so much fun and a great experience. I didn’t realize the sport could be so competitive. I’m looking forward to playing again.” Evan
“I wasn’t very excited for the pickleball field trip but after learning the rules and playing for a while it got easier and was very fun. I won a shirt for doing a hard trick. It meant a lot to me because in school I am never the one getting prizes. The shirt to me was the A+ I never achieve. The experience overall was a fun, energetic and a happy time.” Kayla
“Thank you for teaching us about pickleball. It was a really great experience and fun too!” Sulaka
“I had so much fun! It was my first time playing, and I’m sure it won’t be my last.” Mira
On Saturday, January 4th, Ontario Deaf Sports Association had 38 players in the tournament. We divided into two divisions – 20 in the beginner division and 18 in the intermediate/advanced division.
We did round robin format in the morning and then single elimination tournament format in the afternoon.
For the beginner division the championship was Simon Patterson and Darlene Smith
For the intermdiate/advanced division the championship went to Mickey Helmick and Roger Beernink
Thank you K-W Badminton Club and POWWR for letting us host our tournament. It was a great day! Everyone had fun!
POWWR 