For us at Lubbock Impact, one of our many joys of the summer is our Rally for Impact pickleball tournament.
On July 10th and 11th, we had our third annual Rally for Impact tournament. This year, many of our players were friends of Lubbock Impact, and it was amazing to see our volunteers tearing up the court with the same enthusiasm they bring to Lubbock Impact week after week. Some players, though, had never heard of Lubbock Impact before. One woman shared with us, “I have a friend who could really use your help right now; I’m glad I heard about y’all.” Every year we are so thankful to meet new faces at our tournaments, and this year was no different.
Rally for Impact was created with the intention of building friendships and spreading the word about Lubbock Impact’s mission, all while enjoying some friendly competition. Three years later, we’re still playing pickleball! Three years later, we’re still playing pickleball and over those years, this event has blossomed into a beloved yearly event that creates friendships, memories, and a real impact in our community. This year was no different as we continued to receive much love and support from our community. We could not have done it without you.
Lubbock Indoor Pickleball has supported our mission for the past two years, opening their doors to us and letting us use their facilities at no cost to us. This alone makes a massive difference and ensures that we can put the money we raise back into Lubbock Impact’s programs rather than a venue fee. The support doesn’t end there. As our venue sponsor, Lubbock Indoor pickleball puts together a team of coaches and organizes the sessions, and they even come up with ideas for additional fundraising to make our event a success!
This year our title sponsor was Jones and Associates. Their support, along with our other sponsors, was a huge piece of the puzzle to make this event possible. Jeff and L’Anna Jones both competed in the tournament, each with a big smile on their face. “Oh, we love Lubbock Impact; we’re happy to be here,” L’Anna mentioned. We were so happy they were there as well! The Joneses have been friends and supporters of Lubbock Impact from the beginning, with Jeff previously serving on our board of directors.
We also had several other sponsors who showed up for us in various ways. Our raffle basket sponsors donated gift cards, merchandise, coupons, and even meal vouchers. Kurbside sweets was present on Friday serving delicious treats to the players, and Stretch Zone also attended and helped our players stay active and injury-free.
These donations, sponsorships, and outpourings of support helped us raise over $13,000, which will go directly into Lubbock Impact’s programs.
Rally for Impact has become so much more than a pickleball tournament over the past 3 years. It’s become a reminder of what happens when purpose, friendships, and joy collide. This is an event that connects people, who wouldn’t have heard about Lubbock Impact otherwise, to our mission and creates and reinforces bonds that make our community stronger.
This year, just like the last two, serves as a powerful reminder that when we rally together, we can make a difference.
*This story was written by one of Lubbock Impact’s Communications Interns, Maya. Maya is a Junior at Texas Tech University majoring in Digital Media Professional Communications. Her hope after college is to work for a non-profit in communications!