POWWR volunteers participated in a Food Sorting Blitz at The Food Bank of Waterloo Region on April 20th, 2026. The energetic group sorted 5,118 pounds of food, providing the equivalent of 4,265 meals to members of our community.
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As part of National Volunteer Week from April 19-25, 2026, The Food Bank of Waterloo Region put the spotlight on POWWR. Read the full feature here.
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In March 2026, POWWR donated paddles and balls to Southwood Secondary School.
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POWWR held a Crazy 8s Tournament on March 14th, 2026 featuring 96 players participating in two divisions. The day featured great pickleball, good humour and $5,134 raised for two local organization.
Tiny Home Takeout and The Food Bank of Waterloo Region each received $2,567, and the Food Bank also received 77 pounds of food donated by participants. For the Food Bank, this is the equivalent of 5200 meals!
A huge thank you to all the players, volunteers and sponsors who made this day such a success on and off the court.
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In December 2025, POWWR donated a class set of paddles and balls to Holy Family CES in New Hamburg. Chris McKinnon, grade 7/8 teacher at Holy Family CES, sent us this lovely thank you and pictures.
My students and I have been putting the donated Black Knight paddles and balls to excellent use. The kids are incredibly excited to transition into full-court, tournament-style play, and some are even stepping up to mentor the younger students.
On behalf of Holy Family, I want to extend a huge thank-you to you, Black Knight, and POWWR. Your donation of 28 paddles and balls has made pickleball accessible to so many more students. We look forward to seeing their skills grow – who knows, maybe a Holy Family alum will be the next Canadian champ!
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POWWR donated its 13th class set of paddles and balls to Laurentian Hills Christian School in December 2025.
Dear Powwr Association,
Thank you so much for your generous donation of pickleball paddles. Our grades 5-8 students are learning to play pickleball, and our younger grades are using the equipment to develop hand-eye coordination and manipulative skills. They are having lots of fun!
It is great that organizations like yours are giving back to the community and encouraging healthy, active lifestyles. You have some great people leading the way on this!
Please enjoy the photo of some of our grade 6 students with the paddles that you donated to us. We hope to continue our partnership with you.–
Rodney Kooy, BA OTC CSTC
Teacher and Director of Programming
Laurentian Hills Christian School
Kitchener, ON
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In December 2025, POWWR participated in a Food Sorting Blitz at the Food Bank of Waterloo Region, sorting an incredible 6,356 pounds of food in 2 hours. Through the efforts of the volunteers, 5,298 meals will be provided to members of our community.
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POWWR donated its 16th class set of pickleball paddles and balls to St David’s Catholic Secondary School in Waterloo in November2025.
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In November 2025, POWWR Coaches delivered a 2 hour skills clinic in Brussels Ontario to an enthusiastic group of players.
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In September 2025, POWWR participated in a food sorting blitz in support of the Food Bank of Waterloo Region. A total of 3873 pounds of food was sorted providing 3227 meals to members of the community.!
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In July 2025, POWWR held its first Adult Summer Pickleball Camp using a project grant from the City of Waterloo. Proceeds from the camp were used to donate equipment (paddles and balls) to Sunnyside Public School for use within the school program, and to Focus on Girls in Sport – a free program for girls aged 11-16.
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Dear POWWR Pickleball Team,
On behalf of the staff and students of Sunnyside Public School, I would like to sincerely thank you for your generous donation of pickleball paddles and balls. Your thoughtful contribution will make a meaningful difference in our school community.
We are excited to put the equipment to good use as we introduce and grow the sport of pickleball within our school. Not only will it give our students an opportunity to be active and learn new skills, but it will also foster teamwork, sportsmanship, and a love for a lifelong game.
Your generosity is helping us build opportunities for students to engage in healthy activities and expand their experiences. We truly appreciate your support in helping us grow pickleball at Sunnyside PS.
Thank you once again for your kindness and commitment to sharing the joy of pickleball with our students.
With gratitude,
Chris Edwards
Sunnyside Public School
In May 2025, POWWR hosted two Crazy 8s Tournaments with all proceeds donated to two local organization. POWWR President Fiona MacGregor presents the fundraising results of $2000 to Women’s Crisis Services of Waterloo Region, and $2600 to Bereaved Families of Ontario – Midwestern Region.
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In late April 2025, POWWR participated in the OpenText Employee Wellness Fair. The attendance by OpenText staff was amazing and the numbers that showed interest at the POWWR display table was equally impressive. A big thank you to Vivienne, Fiona, Tom and Claudia who represented POWWR and heightened pickleball awareness in our community.
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POWWR has a class set of paddles and balls that can be loaned (free of charge) to schools and community groups. This equipment was enjoyed by students at Sunnyside Public School in March 2025. “Thanks again for letting us use the pickleball sets, kids had a great time learning how to play.” Chris Edwards, Physical & Health Education, Sunnyside Public School. Contact POWWR at powwrinfo@gmail.com to learn more.
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POWWR participated in a Food Sorting event at the Food Bank of Waterloo Region on March 31, 2025. An energetic group of volunteers sorted over 6200 pounds of food providing 5205 meals to members of our community!
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King Edward Public School received a donation of a class set of paddles and balls from POWWR in December 2024.
Dear POWWR
On behalf of King Edward Public School, we sincerely thank you for your generous donation of pickleball paddles and balls for our students. Your kindness and support provides our students with the opportunity to learn and enjoy this amazing sport, promoting both physical activity and teamwork.
Your contribution will make a meaningful impact, helping to introduce pickleball to many students who may not have had the chance to play otherwise. Our staff appreciates having a class set of paddles and balls for all students to use during gym class. Also, having these paddles allowed us to start a Pickleball Club for our students in grades 4, 5 and 6 and 20-30 students are playing during their nutrition break. We are truly grateful for your generosity and commitment to youth development.
Thank you again for making a difference in our school community!
Best regards,
The staff at King Edward Public School
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POWWR held a Food Drive in support of the Food Bank of Waterloo Region in the week of December 9th, 2024. Through the generosity of POWWR program participants, the Food Bank received 381 pounds of food and $205 in cash. That translates to 728 meals which will reach members of our community in need.
Below are a few pictures of just some of the POWWR members that made the Food Drive such a success. All donations were dropped off at the Food Bank Warehouse on December 13th. A big thank you to all involved for making a positive impact in our community!
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On behalf of St. Benedict School, we would like to extend our heartfelt thanks to POWWR for your generous donation of pickleball paddles and balls. Your support not only enhances our physical education program but also provides our students with the opportunity to learn a fun and engaging sport. Your contribution helps us foster teamwork, fitness, and an active lifestyle, and we are truly grateful for your commitment to enriching our school community. Thanks to you, we no longer have to use old school wooden paddles!
Thank you for making a difference in the lives of our students!
Rebecca Vitello – Career Studies, Special Education, and Physical Education Department, St. Benedict C.S.S
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In September 2024, POWWR members participated in a sorting blitz at the Food Bank of Waterloo Region. The enthusiastic group sorted over 2400 pounds of food providing 2014 meals for members of our community.
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The Kitchener Downtown Paddle Palooza Pickleball Festival on August 27th, 2024 was a great success! The splash pad in front of City Hall was converted into a professional pickleball court and King Street was closed with another 3 courts. Players on the Centre Court, Street Courts and members of the community all had a great time. A big thank you to all the POWWR volunteers who made this event such a success!
Check out the CTV news story and the CBC news story of the event, and the promotional video showcasing POWWR coaches Ann Weber and John Dobos.
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In May 2024, POWWR donated a class set of pickleball paddles and balls to Avenue Road Public School in Cambridge. Physical educations teachers Tamiko Boug and Rick Gordon shared the following:
“Avenue Road Public School would like to express our sincere gratitude to POWWR for their incredibly generous donation of pickleball paddles and balls. Our grade 7 and 8 students participated in pickleball as part of our Racquet Sports unit. Our junior students are eager to learn this exciting sport next. We are touched by POWWR’s kindness and support for our school community. This generous contribution will greatly benefit our students and enhance their physical education experience. Thank you, POWWR, for your commitment to the well-being and education of our students. The students are having a GREAT time using the equipment.”
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POWWR Director Lori Barnes presents a cheque of $1,200 raised by the May 4th, 2024 Crazy 8s Tournament to Tiny Home Takeout, and a cheque for $2,200 raised by the May 6th, 2024 Crazy 8s Tournament to Women’s Crisis Services of Waterloo Region.
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POWWR held a player clinic and tournament on May 18, 2024 in support of SPECTRUM Waterloo Region, an organization supporting 2SLGBTQ+ people in the region. POWWR Coaches led a two hour clinic for 56 participants in the morning, and POWWR Volunteers organized tournament play for 63 individuals across 12 gyms in the afternoon. The day was a tremendous success both on and off the courts, as over $5000 was raised for SPECTRUM. A big thank you to all the POWWR volunteers who helped make this event such a great experience for all participants. For more details, view the CTV News Kitchener coverage and the SPECTRUM blog post.
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POWWR members and friends connected once again on March 27, 2024 to participate in the Food Bank of Waterloo Region Sorting Blitz. The group sorted, boxed and labelled 13 gigantic bins of food donations in two hours. That translates to 4158 pounds of food and will provide 3248 meals for members of our community. Many thanks to this hard working bunch and to our Food Bank lead, Meghan Waldbillig, for her support.
POWWR members helped the City of Kitchener Sports Division at their Staff Appreciation Event on March 27, 2024. Many people tried pickleball for the first time and had a lot of fun!
Once again an enthusiastic group of POWWR members and friends participated in the Food Bank of Waterloo Region Sorting Blitz. On December 13th, 2023 the group sorted almost 6 tons of food! It was a high energy evening, and 14 skids of donated dry goods totalling 5,741 pounds of food were sorted and organized in the warehouse. This provides 4,485 meals for individuals facing food insecurity in our community. Thanks to everyone involved!
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On Saturday October 28th, POWWR and the Rotary Club of Kitchener held a fundraising tournament for the Ukrainian Committee. Over 95 players participated and raised over $3500 for books for the Ukrainian school and for youth sports programs. A big thank you to all of the participants and their generosity, and to the POWWR volunteers who made this event such a huge success.
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POWWR members participated in the Food Bank of Waterloo Region Sorting Blitz on October 18th, 2023 In less than 2 hours, this energetic group sorted over 4,440 pounds of food providing 3,332 meals for members of our community.
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POWWR is featured in the July 31, 2023 edition of the KW Record in an article focused on the growth of Pickleball. Read the full article here.
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POWWR loaned and then donated pickleball paddles to the Huron Heights Secondary School physical education department. This sparked an addition to the PHE curriculum as described below!
Dear POWWR Board of Directors,
On behalf of Huron Heights Secondary School I would like to thank you for the loaner program that we participated in this year. Our school did have wooden paddles but thanks to the loaner program we had the opportunity to play pickleball with “proper” paddles. We found the students and staff both enjoyed the game more due to the better control we had over the ball. More staff used the paddles in their PHE classes and as a result it inspired us to apply for a grant to purchase our own paddles. We were able to purchase 14 paddles through a grant program and POWWR donated an extra 4 paddles and some balls. We now have 18 paddles and pickleball has been added into our PHE curriculum. We would also like to thank Fiona MacGregor because of her hard work and advocacy to inspire us.
We appreciate the support of POWWR to support our school programming.
Thank you,
Sincerely,
Kathy Brook (teacher), Dave Clipper (PHE Head) and Jeff Klink (Principal)
Huron Heights Secondary School
Kitchener, Ontario
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The Crazy 8s Tournament was held on May 17, 2023 in support of the Women’s Crisis Services of Waterloo Region. Through the tremendous generosity of the tournament participants, over $1200 and lots of lots of diapers, baby wipes and other needed items were collected. A big thank you to all for making this day such a success.
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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!