The Guilford Racquet and Swim Club’s (GRSC) annual Pickleball for Parkinson’s event on April 29 was a roaring success in its efforts to bring awareness and funds for Parkinson’s Disease. GRSC began hosting the event in 2013. That first year they had 30 participants, many of whom had never even heard of pickleball. Since then, the sport has skyrocketed in popularity, and this year’s Pickleball for Parkinson’s had over 150 participants and raised over $28,000.

Pickleball for Parkinson’s is the brainchild of GRSC’s Pickleball Coordinator, Lesly Wagner. When her longtime friend, Wendy Renz, was diagnosed with Parkinson’s Disease in 2012, she made a move from tennis to pickleball. Having recently spearheaded the effort to bring pickleball to GRSC, Lesly was in the process of growing the sport there, and she also discovered that exercise could assist in staving off some of the debilitating symptoms of Parkinson’s. It just made logical sense to combine the two in a fundraising event. In 2013, Lesly partnered up with GRSC owner and manager Sarah Boone to put on the first Pickleball for Parkinson’s, and GRSC has hosted it each year since then (except for 2020 and 2021 because of Covid).

Lesly said, “I couldn’t pull this off without the loving support of Sarah and the rest of the GRSC staff. There is so much that goes into making this event a success, and they do so much to ensure it runs smoothly each year.”

“The most touching part about hosting Pickleball for Parkinson’s is the amount of support we get from members in the community. We secured goods or services from over 30 different people or businesses. I’m overwhelmed with gratitude to have so many caring and generous supporters. Each year I raise my fundraising goals, and this year, we blew through my sky-high goal of raising $20,000 for The Michael J. Fox Foundation,” said Lesly.

So far, Lesly and GRSC have raised over $28,000 for Parkinson’s research.

If you’d like to contribute to the Michael J Fox Foundation, visit https://give.michaeljfox.org/fundraiser/4560024