DALLAS, TX - Miranda Cabieses has traveled back to her home country of Peru something like 10 times in the past year.

And the former tennis player, current international beauty pageant contestant, and avid pickleball player, doesn’t travel lightly.

“My bags are always filled with paddles and balls,” she said. “Lots of them.”

Now she splits her time between training to play professional pickleball, competing in pageants, going to online school at Florida Gulf Coast University, and helping run the Cabieses Foundation, a non-profit foundation where she and her brother, Hercilio, have introduced pickleball to people all over Peru.

“Pickle changed my life,” she said. “I was a tennis player, but got injured when I was younger and couldn’t compete any more. After that, I thought I would never compete again, but to be able to learn to play pickleball, compete alongside my brother is so wonderful. Sharing a court is something we do together and it’s important for me to give back to my country.”

She and her brother, Hercilio, are from Lima, Peru, grew up with an opportunity to play tennis, travel and come to the United States. Hercilio was a regular on the APP Tour, post-pandemic and said he’ll be hoping to play both APP and PPA events in 2024.

Meanwhile, the two are giving back.

They started the Cabieses Foundation and have put a paddle and a ball in the hands of more than 30,000 players in Peru, have chalked courts on concrete, outlined pickleball courts in the dirt, on volleyball courts and gyms. Anywhere the two could set up a net in Peru, they’ve done it.

“As long as they get a paddle and a ball, they are so happy,” Hercilio said. “Being there and around that means the world to us. It’s hard to express in words.”

Well, no words needed. Their actions speak loud enough.

The Second National Tournament of Peru concluded in November with more than 300 participants, including kids, para-athletes and participants from 14 countries. Their foundation paid entry fees for a number of players and for those who paid their own way, it was just $20 to register.

“We were thinking we might get people from six countries,” Hercilio said. “We had done the first tournament and didn’t know what to expect, and all of a sudden we had people reaching out from all over.”

The first tournament had just more than 100 players. The second was a success. Bigger and better things are planned in 2024 with the World Pickleball Cup scheduled for October, sponsored by their family foundation.

“When I was playing at different tour events and got to know the players, I always wondered what I could do with pickleball in my life,” Hercilio said. I want to leave a legacy for my country. We want to give kids all over the country something they enjoy. We want these kids to be part of the next Peru team when the time comes for the Pan-Am Games or the Olympics. We want Peru to have the best team.”

Pickleball continues to become more popular and Hercilio and Miranda continue to put more paddles in hands and put more nets up, chalk more lines and play more games, That’s going to make a difference.

“Our slogan is, ‘One ball can change a life and one life can change the world,’” Miranda said.

For more information, go to Instagram and check out @pickleballperu, @cabiesesfoundation, @miranda.cabieses and @hcabieses.