The Mattoon, Illinois Pickleball Club officially formed in early 2025 after the City of Mattoon installed new courts at Peterson Park and asked the initial pickleball supporters to help raise funds for enhancements such as fencing, lights, and other improvements. Although I don't actually play pickleball (I'm affectionately known as the "Pickleball Widow" because my husband plays nonstop!), I recognized the positive impact the sport could have on our community and used my organizational skills to help bring people together.

Following a successful fundraiser in November 2024 and a strong sponsorship campaign, we established the Mattoon Pickleball Club as the governing organization for our efforts.

Our first goal was to fund improvements to the courts. Working alongside the city, we raised enough money to install fencing, lights, concrete around the courts, and even a shade structure this spring. We're now hoping to add additional courts in the future.

Our next goal was to grow the game by welcoming players of all ages. While many of our original members were retired, we wanted to create opportunities for everyone. In addition to open play, we launched ladder leagues, which attracted nearly 100 players from 20 surrounding communities this spring. We put pickleball sets in our local library for individuals and families to check out so they could try the game before they invested money into the equipment. We also started Pickleball 101, a weekly program where experienced members teach and play with new and developing players. Every Thursday, our courts are full with players waiting to get on.  

Finally, we were ready for the project closest to my heart—creating a youth pickleball camp. As a retired teacher, I believe introducing young people to the sport is essential. Last fall we formed an Education Committee and began planning. We needed 35 paddles, so we contacted several manufacturers asking if they could donate demo or used equipment. The response was incredible. Paddletek, 11six24, Selkirk, Six Zero, Onix, and others generously donated paddles, allowing every camper to participate.

To keep camp affordable, we charged just $30 per child, which included insurance, a T-shirt, a goodie bag, and breakfast/lunch on the final day. Thanks to generous community sponsors, nearly everything—including shirts, insurance, food, paddles, and goodie bag items—was donated. Additional supplies from our Amazon wish list were completely purchased by supporters.

Our first Rally Crew Youth Camp was held June 15–19 for students in grades 3–8. More than 30 campers from 10 different communities participated with the help of 17 volunteer coaches.

The week exceeded every expectation. We welcomed children with all levels of experience—from those who had never held a paddle to those playing games by week's end. The campers were engaged, enthusiastic, and excited to return each day. Despite severe weather—including a tornado that passed just a couple miles from our town—we were able to keep camp on schedule.

The greatest reward has been seeing the lasting impact. Several campers and their families now attend our weekly Pickleball 101 sessions, many have signed up for our fall ladder league, and a few are even entering their first tournament.

Parent feedback was overwhelmingly positive with comments such as this:

"As a parent (in the older group) I really enjoyed how you treated the kids with respect and played with them like you would other adults. I loved the playful side and how the coaches were very involved and you could tell they love the sport!! Hopefully the ages go higher next year so my daughter can participate again next year; she loved it!! Thank you all for pouring into the youth in the community!! The bags and goodies and the shirt was great!! It was definitely worth the $30 fee."

Immediately after camp, our volunteer coaches looked at the success of our camp and and we're already planning improvements for next year.

Our first youth camp was a tremendous success—and it is just the beginning.

This article is a special contribution to Pickleball.com from Kim Janssen.