2nd Annual Pickleball for Health Fundraiser To Raise Funds for Kids’ Emergency Department Activity Cart
August 31, 2026
(Geneva NY) The 2nd Annual Pickleball for Health returns to the courts at Geneva High School on Saturday, October 3. Sponsored by Excellus BlueCross BlueShield, the full day event is hosted by Friends of Geneva General Hospital and Lyons Pickleball Club. It includes a morning session for families and beginners featuring instruction and informal play. Intermediate and advanced level players take to the courts in the afternoon, competing for trophies and bragging rights.
It is all for a good cause: This year, every serve at the event supports the purchase of an activities cart for Geneva General Hospital’s emergency department (ED).
“Each year, nearly 1,800 kids visit Geneva General Hospital’s ED and for many of those children, the experience can be distressing and potentially traumatic. The Activity Cart will help make that trip to the ED a little less scary,” says Allison Koczent, president of Friends of Geneva General Hospital, the all-volunteer organization that advocates for the hospital in the community.
The custom cart will be filled with games, books, toys and other items for kids to use while in the ED, whether by the patient or a patient’s waiting sibling. When the family is OK to go, the toy or game is theirs to keep.
“For us, pickleball is more than a game. It’s a way to bring the community together,” says Lyons Pickleball Club co-president Angie Camnitz. “Lyons Pickleball Club is proud to support Pickleball for Health again this year.”
Cost to participate is $25 for families and beginners, which includes breakfast and swag bag. Tournament registration is $30 per player, which includes lunch, snacks, trophies and swag bag. The rain date is Sunday, October 4.
Details and registration information are at https://lyonspickleball.com/events-and-tournaments/pickleball-for-health/.