As pickleball exploded across Northern Virginia, four teenagers noticed something missing from the courts. Some children were watching from the sidelines — not because they lacked interest, but because they couldn’t afford the equipment.
Rather than simply inviting them to join a game, Marshall High School student Sri Piramanayagam and Chantilly High School students Varun Kishore, Gurkirat Kumar, and Ishaan Shukla decided to tackle the problem themselves. They created Paddles for Promise, a student-run nonprofit that transforms pickleball tournaments into fundraisers helping kids in NoVA access sports equipment and other essentials.
“Sports were a huge part of my childhood,” Kishore says. “Every child deserves to experience that. If we can help create that spark for someone else, that’s really rewarding.”
Meeting a Local Need
The idea grew out of a shared love of pickleball. Piramanayagam and Kishore grew up playing together before Kishore moved to Chantilly, where he met Kumar and Shukla. As the four friends continued playing, they noticed that not every child had the same opportunity they did.
“We saw more and more people joining pickleball,” Piramanayagam says. “At the same time, we saw kids at parks who couldn’t really play to their fullest extent because they didn’t have the equipment. We realized if we had the opportunity to help someone in our local community, why not use something we all love?”
After researching ways to help, the students discovered Hoops for Youth, a Washington, DC-based nonprofit that hosts basketball tournaments for charity. The concept inspired them to create a pickleball version for Northern Virginia.
The four co-founders, all 17-year-old seniors, handle nearly every aspect of the organization themselves, from tournament logistics and fundraising to marketing, sponsorships, and community partnerships.
Since launching earlier this year, the students have organized three tournaments, attracting up to 100 participants per event, ranging from competitive players to families. Tournament entry fees and donations have generated about $6,500 to support the nonprofit’s charitable mission.
Supporting a Good Cause
“We’re able to bring together children, adults, and seniors,” Kumar says. “Watching people meet each other, become friends and support a cause together has been one of the most fulfilling parts.”
After covering tournament expenses and nonprofit registration costs, proceeds benefit Shelter House Fairfax, which serves families experiencing homelessness and survivors of domestic violence. Rather than trying to distribute equipment themselves, the students partnered with Shelter House to ensure donations reach families who need them most. They’re also completing Paddles for Promise’s application for nonprofit status.
The students have also asked Shelter House to dedicate part of the funds to sports equipment so more children can participate in recreational activities.
“They’re already doing this work every day,” Kumar says. “They know how to make sure these resources get to the right children.
A New Opportunity
As pickleball’s popularity continues to soar across Northern Virginia, the founders hope to turn every new player into another opportunity to give back.
Piramanayagam says one of his favorite moments came after a recent tournament when two champions donated their prize money back to the nonprofit.
“People weren’t just playing pickleball,” he says. “They were playing because they wanted to help the community. Seeing that happen made us realize this has become something much bigger than a tournament.”
The organization has also partnered with the Chantilly High School pickleball team to promote tournaments and recently began working with a Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology student to launch pickleball clinics for children with disabilities.
For participant Noel Patil, that’s exactly what makes the tournaments special. “These tournaments have brought the community closer together,” Patil says. “By playing a sport we love, we can change lives for the better.
Feature image by Sri Piramanayagam
This story originally ran in our October issue. For more stories like this, subscribe to Northern Virginia Magazine.
