Southern Pickleball Academy Receives $15K Grant To Expand Youth Program into Augusta and Edgefield

Southern Pickleball Academy secured a $15,000 grant from the Community Foundation for the CSRA this January. The money will grow its First Paddle youth program into Augusta and Edgefield.

With this funding, the nonprofit hired its first program director and started offering camps outside Aiken. Caitlin Barry took on the role in January, which allowed the academy to reach children aged 8-14 across new areas later this year.

This year brought a new partnership with the Salvation Army of Aiken's Red Shield Youth Center. Half the spots went to kids from the Red Shield Youth Center.

"We realized after doing First Paddle for a couple years that it was doing a great job of building those character lessons, but we weren't necessarily reaching the kids who needed it the most," said Beth Eberhard, co-director and vice president, per The Post and Courier.

The program teaches core values and life skills through pickleball. Respect. Communication. Sportsmanship. Each day zeroes in on one value, and participants talk about what it means to them.

Two camps will take place June 1-5 at different locations. One happens at the Aiken Fermata Club. The other meets at Patriot Park Gym in Grovetown, Georgia. Both run from 9 to 11 a.m.