The North Shore Coalition Against Substance Abuse inaugural pickleball tournament was a smashing success at Gold Coast Pickleball club in Glen Head.
“It went very well,” Sean Trager, CASA’s co-president, said. “I think in the last few days, we ended up with a lot more participants than we were expecting, and there was just a ton of support from local businesses and community members.”
The event, held from 3-6:00 p.m. on April 5, was sold out. While the exact dollar amount of funds raised will not be shared until CASA’s next board meeting on April 28, Trager said that he felt confident that what was raised will cover the balance for the weekly pickleball program CASA hosts Fridays.
The idea for a fundraiser came after observing the success of the
weekly pickleball program, according to Trager. Tickets for the tournament were $80 and the money raised is to help assist in covering some of the costs of the program.
The program has been running for approximately a year and has sold out every week, according to Trager. Geared towards middle and high schoolers, it was designed to give kids a safe place to go to where they could compete and socialize in an environment that was free of drugs and alcohol.
Trager added that he hopes that in the years to come, the middle school kids participating in the program now will retain the behavior and give back as they progress through high school.
CASA does not have infinite resources to rent out the facility every week due to being a small, grassroots local coalition, according to Trager. He added that the coalition did want to cover enough of the expenses to make it affordable for the teens and parents.
The program operates on a nominal fee structure, $20, to cover costs, with CASA subsidizing the other $20 of the cost to ensure accessibility. After observing the popularity of their weekly events, the idea formed to host an event open to adults to help raise money for the program.
In the future, CASA plans to build on the program’s success and community engagement efforts. For more information on CASA’s pickleball program or to get involved, visit their website at NSCASA.org or contact them at NorthShoreCASA@gmail.com.
“We weren't sure if we could raise money or raise awareness,” said Trager. “At the end of the day, I think we did a good job of doing both.”
