Film and television executive Ziad Batal vividly recalls the moment he learned that his home in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood of Los Angeles had been destroyed by the devastating wildfires in the area.

It was a shock to the system to say the least.

"I went to my in-laws’ house [after evacuating] and I’m drinking a cup of coffee at 6 a.m. in the morning and watching the news without even a thought of where I live is gone. I basically saw it on the news where the reporter said, ‘I’m on Sunset and Marquez,’ and the camera pans and I see my whole complex in flames," he shared. "That’s when it hit me, ‘Holy sh*t, it’s gone! It’s on fire and it’s gone.’ That’s when it really, really hit me."

Batal had always envisioned returning to his humble abode that overlooked the Pacific Ocean and brought him so much joy, but that simply wasn't in the cards.

Instead of letting the unfortunate circumstances get the best of him, though, he decided that helping fellow citizens who also lost their homes because of the wildfires was the best possible medicine.

And he turned to pickleball for assistance.

Batal is the commissioner of the Entertainment Pickleball League (EPL), which brings together streamers, agencies, studios, broadcasters, production companies, social media platforms, record labels, and celebrities to enjoy America's fastest-growing sport, network, and showcase their skills.

The EPL already had a standard tournament scheduled for Saturday, Jan. 25, so Batal decided to pivot and turn the event into a fundraiser called "Paddle with a Purpose" for families in need.

"I sent out an email to everybody on the different EPL teams saying, ‘Hey, I’m going to shift focus. It’s not going to be a tournament. I want everybody to come out and I want you guys to play with the families that are affected because there are thousands of people that have been evacuated.' We needed to shift focus," he explained. "I thought we needed to do something special. 'Let’s turn it into a fundraiser. Let’s turn it into something to give back to the community. Let’s do our part.' And that's what we did."

The festivities were held at PowerPlay Pickleball in Gardena with celebrity co-hosts Wayne Brady and Terrell Owens in attendance.

EPL squads from industry giants like CAA, WME, Gersh, UTA, Amazon, Disney, ROKU, FOX, CBS, TikTok, Google, Snapchat, and Apple - along with local firefighters - hit the court with invited families affected by the fires in the Pacific Palisades and Altadena.

And MLP's Bay Area Breakers and SoCal Hard Eights were in attendance, too.

It meant the world to Batal to see the participants enjoying themselves and having fun during such a troubling time in the Golden State.

"People are looking at me like, ‘How are you coping with this? How are you actually here with everything that happened to you?’ And I have a smile on my face. I don’t want to walk around doom and gloom because you know what? I lost a couch, a TV, some clothes. Yeah, I’m going to miss those pictures on the bookshelf of my parents, my grandparents, and the kids growing up, but I have it in my mind. To me, it was material. I'm healthy, my kids are healthy, and we all left unharmed. For me now, this is the community and this is what pickleball does. There’s something special about pickleball that really brings joy to people’s faces," he said. "It doesn’t matter what level you’re at. I had 5.0 players playing with kids, playing with all levels, and everybody had a blast. Everybody knew what they were there for and that really brought me joy. I didn’t solve everybody’s mental state, but for me it was about giving them a day that they will always remember with people that really cared."

The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has relocated Batal to Woodland Hills while he figures out his next move housing-wise, but he hopes to establish roots in the Pacific Palisades again someday.

It's where his heart is.

"I want to help my community. I want to help rebuild the Palisades. It’s so special to everyone. It really, really is a special community. It was my retirement. It was where I was going to spend the rest of my life. I couldn’t see myself living anywhere else," he concluded. "I want to do everything I can to help people get back in there and rebuild."

The EPL has joined EIF's Defy:Disaster program to provide immediate and long-term support to firefighters, first responders, and Los Angeles communities impacted by wildfires.

Click here to donate.