In just a few weeks, Susan Swern, founder of the Pickleball for Good Fund, will board a plane headed to Africa with something most U.S. pickleball players take for granted: paddles and balls.
Not as luggage. Not as extras. But as opportunity.
Susan is traveling as part of the launch of Operation PaddleLift™, a collaborative global initiative dedicated to bringing pickleball equipment to countries where the passion for the sport already exists—but access to gear does not. This effort is led by the Global Pickleball Federation (GPF) in partnership with the Pickleball for Good Fund™—a nonprofit pioneer in pickleball philanthropy dedicated to supporting other nonprofits while growing inclusive and adaptive pickleball programs in the U.S. and internationally.
The initiative’s immediate goal is clear and urgent: To raise $20,000 by April 1, 2026 to ship 20+ pickleball gear starter kits to emerging national pickleball federations worldwide. While much of the new equipment has been donated, shipping, customs, and import fees are costly—often totaling more than the gear itself.
Every $1,000 raised covers the full cost to deliver one starter kit to national federations that submitted an application and have been patiently waiting, in some cases, for over a year. The initiative is chaired by Ruth Rosenquist of GPF’s Community Development Committee, whose leadership has helped shape Operation PaddleLift into a blueprint for the sport’s global growth within under-resourced countries. As she states, “this joint effort will help close the gap while supporting pickleball’s long-term international growth—a critical step toward the sport’s future on the world stage and as an official Olympic sport”.
Each GPF Member starter kit contains donated equipment by Good Sport Foundation and Franklin Sports, GPF’s exclusive official ball: 20 paddles, 36 Franklin X-40 pickleballs, and 4 portable nets. Each Operation PaddleLift kit can turn a schoolyard, parking lot, or community space into four courts where pickleball—and community—can grow.
Dr. Kwabena Akufo, Founder of the Ghana Pickleball Association shared why each starter kit is critical to growing the sport, “Our push for grassroots development of pickleball in Ghana has been limited due to equipment. When the Ghana Pickleball Association received GPF member kits, we were enabled to expand to more regions in Ghana that will help us in our drive toward formal recognition by the Ministry of Sports.”
Susan isn’t just supporting Operation PaddleLift with her decades-long expertise as a nonprofit fundraising pro by sitting on GPF’s Community Development Committee—she’s literally becoming a global pickleball envoy as founder of Pickleball for Good Fund. During the trip Susan will hand-deliver 40 essential pickleball paddles earmarked for the Pickleball Federation of Kenya and Pickleball Uganda.
Susan describes this as “a trip of a lifetime” and the journey embodies the fund’s motto: “Changing lives isn’t a spectator sport.”
The fundraising campaign has already received its first “Champion a Country” online donation from Pat Angelicchio (Pickleball Instructor, IPTPA and PPR Pro Certified) who deeply believes that “pickleball will help heal our world and Operation PaddleLift’s efforts completely align with that.”
Support the mission and help us meet our goal of raising $20,000 by making a contribution at the Operation PaddleLift donation page here.
Pickleball for Good Fund is a registered Colorado 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization (EIN: 93-2395111). U.S. contributions are tax-deductible to the extent allowed by law.
Media Contact:
Susan Swern
+1 (720) 480-0434
###
ABOUT GLOBAL PICKLEBALL FEDERATION (GPF)
The GPF is the world governing body for pickleball, serving as a not-for-profit organization focused on the integrity and development of pickleball globally—from grassroots to recreational and high-performance levels. GPF’s unifying function, structure, and board are aligned with pickleball’s established continental federations and a valued volunteer network engaged in growing the sport worldwide. The GPF’s ethical framework and by-laws will ultimately lead the sport of pickleball to International Olympic Committee recognition and inclusion in the 2032 Brisbane Olympics. The constant interplay between the GPF with its respective continental and national federations ensures uniform rules, regulations, standards, and the ability to swiftly implement best practices.
For more info, visit https://globalpickleballfederation.org/.
ABOUT PICKLEBALL FOR GOOD FUND
Pickleball for Good Fund’s mission is to mobilize funding, equipment, and volunteers to pickleball visionaries who are bringing the unique benefits of the sport to under-championed communities around the world. This non-profit envisions a future where the sport of pickleball is a global force for good.
