Northeast Arc will hold its second annual Pickleball for a Purpose fundraiser July 1-2 at the Woburn Racquet Club.
“It’s a lot of fun seeing all ages coming out to participate,” said Patti Cusack, who serves on the Northeast Arc board of directors. “It’s a good opportunity to bring the community together, all while supporting Northeast Arc and spreading awareness of its programs and services.”
Cusack helped to launch the inaugural tournament, which was held last June. Approximately 200 players participated and the event raised $30,000 for Northeast Arc.
“Some who played shared that they have loved ones that would benefit greatly from Northeast Arc’s support,” said Cusack. “The need for services and programs is significant. With program closures, staffing shortages, and funding shortfalls, Northeast Arc has continued to excel in meeting the demand in our community. Their wide reach and expertise in how they develop and provide services from birth to end-of-life is astounding.”
With its headquarters in Danvers, Northeast Arc positively impacts the lives of more than 10,000 individuals with disabilities in nearly 200 cities and towns across eastern Massachusetts. Its mission is to help those individuals become full participants in the community — choosing for themselves how to live, learn, work, socialize, and play. Services include early intervention, clinical services, family services, long-term support services, community employment, and residential services.
“The staff at Northeast Arc changes lives,” said Cusack. “The expertise of every staff member in all facets of the organization is unparalleled. Joyful, energetic, compassionate, and engaging are a few of the adjectives that I would use to describe them.”
Corporate sponsors for this year’s Pickleball for a Purpose include the Woburn Racquet Club, which is donating its space, as well as Alliant Insurance Services, Astrus Insurance Solutions, the Boston Bruins Foundation, Davio’s Restaurant Group, Oppenheimer & Co., Ipswich Country Club, J. Barrett & Co., Jauron Family Foundation, Jo Ann Simons, and Point32Health Foundation.
Registration for the tournament is open through June 23. Participants can sign up individually or as teams, and there will be men’s, women’s, and mixed competition. The format is round-robin with playoffs and the top three teams in each bracket will win medals.
To register, donate or learn more, visit pickleballforapurpose.org or contact Kacy Jauron, director of special events, at [email protected].
