The upcoming second annual Illini Get Pickled Charity Pickleball Tournament serves up more than just paddle thwacks and tangy, bitter-filled prizes. 

The event, to be held on March 29-30, fosters a way for students in the Department of Recreation, Sport and Tourism to engage with the local community toward a positive cause — even for those who aren’t pickle enthusiasts.

Michael Raycraft, clinical associate professor in AHS, said the idea to form Illini Get Pickled emerged in Winter 2023. One of the projects he works on for the department is RST 199: Sapora Symposium, a course that hosts professional development speakers. 

However, faculty members and Raycraft himself wanted to add a community service component for students to engage with the content they’re learning about in class.

Raycraft spoke with Brooke Watson, associate director of advancement at Cunningham Children’s Home and University alum, who mentioned that Cunningham was looking to arrange a pickleball tournament as a fundraiser.

Cunningham is a nonprofit organization that serves youth and families facing difficult life circumstances through three main programs: residential treatment, special education and community-based services. The organization served 977 youth and families last year, and Watson said that number continuously increases yearly.

“It’s a great resume piece, and it’s a way for them to do kind of a learning activity where, at the same time, you’re benefiting the community,” Raycraft said. “They raise a bunch of money for Cunningham, so it’s a win-win.”

However, the two couldn’t organize the event alone. That’s where Gavin Christopherson, tournament director and senior in AHS, and Carson Bounds, tournament co-chair and graduate student studying RST, factor into the committee.

“(Raycraft) wanted it to be a student-led initiative because we haven’t really had too many of those within our department in recent years, and at some point, the idea of pickleball came up,” Bounds said. 

The two close friends worked alongside Raycraft and Watson to quickly organize last year’s tournament by the end of February. Christopherson and Bounds said they raised over $4,000 for Cunningham, with over 80 participants from the Champaign-Urbana community.

“(Cunningham’s) tagline is ‘Hope begins here,’ but I really think that’s something that we live in, breathe every day, with our community of supporters,” Watson said. “Illini Get Pickled is definitely a part of that. (It) helps to provide us the resources that our staff needs so that we can always have the best response or the best plan to support youth and families as they’re healing, learning and growing.”

According to Watson, Cunningham’s fundraising team aims to raise $2 million annually to bridge the gap between services, contracts, grants and the daily cost of care, which averages $37 per child.

Illini Get Pickled helps generate funds for those costs and guarantees a pickleball-thriving time while doing so. This year’s tournament will experience several changes based on feedback from last year’s participants. Christopherson said the team started meeting as early as the day after last year’s event to ensure improvements for the following year.

He and the others hope to raise over $10,000 this year and double the number of players they had last year. Most notably, Illini Get Pickled is sticking with its namesake and offering pickle-themed prizes for all participants.

“We’re partnering with Jimmy John’s and giving away a bucket of Jimmy John’s pickles to the winners of the people in the winning teams,” Christopherson said. “Everyone that participates is getting a voucher for a free pickle at Jimmy John’s on top of their event T-shirt and whatever giveaways we have on game day.”

Other outside partners include The Specialized Marketing Group Inc. and DICK’S Sporting Goods. Christopherson noted that all proceeds will go directly to Cunningham, with TSMGI covering the back-end costs and DICK’S Sporting Goods providing the equipment. Jimmy John’s will even supply lunch for participants.

Watson said she’s grateful to be a part of the team behind Illini Get Pickled but emphasized that it’s a student-led project. Despite her and Raycraft’s role in the tournament, Christopherson’s and Bounds’ leadership has helped support Cunningham by doing good that reverberates throughout C-U.

“In particular, Gavin and Carson have just done an incredible job of building a tradition, doing something new, taking a risk and really giving back and making a difference in our community,” Watson said.

Raycraft echoed similar sentiments, having worked and traveled closely with the two for some time.

“I have worked with Gavin and Carson for the last several years,” Raycraft said. “They’re just incredibly capable, creative kids who are incredibly generous with their time, and they’re generous with their spirit in terms of sharing what things they learned in the classroom but (also) sharing themselves.”

Leading up to the tournament, Bounds and Christopherson will promote the event by dressing up in pickle costumes around campus — and perhaps become dancing pickles in classrooms as well.

The tournament will feature recreational and competitive divisions at Huff Hall, combined with students and community members, which will be held on March 29 and 30, respectively. Teams can consist of 2-3 players, with the third player considered as a substitute.

Registration is $75 per team, which includes a T-shirt for all participants. All proceeds will benefit Cunningham, allowing everyone to “dill” out good deeds for a great cause.

[email protected]