Inspired by their love of racket sports and passion for giving back to the community, three local teens—Eshaan Sheth, Naseem Rhaman, and Vedanth Chamala—decided to create the Pickleball Alliance, “an organization dedicated to uniting the local population whilst making an impact across the globe.” By hosting pickleball tournaments at local courts, the trio has raised money for charitable organizations like the Himalayan Health Initiative, the American Red Cross, the Veterans of Foreign Wars, and other nonprofits. The Pickleball Alliance provides a fun-filled and welcoming environment to people of all ages and skill levels.
As their first charity pickleball tournament came to an end in the spring of 2024, Eshaan, Naseem, and Vedanth were appreciative when an older gentleman approached and thanked them for hosting, especially since the tournament had taken more work to coordinate than the group of teens had expected. The man explained the difficulty in bringing different age groups in the community together since the Covid-19 pandemic and how much he enjoyed participating in the tournament. “That’s when I started to realize the true impact the Pickleball Alliance had,” president Eshaan Sheth said.
Though the founders have since graduated from Marcus High School and are now in college, they plan on passing the torch to younger kids in the community to keep the alliance alive. They hope to inspire others to “raise money through what you’re passionate about by doing what you love and caring about the impact you are making,” Sheth said.