One Suitcase. One Mission. One Big Lift for Global Pickleball.

Community Stories

Dec 18

In just a few weeks, Susan Swern, founder of the Pickleball for Good Fund, will board a plane headed to Africa with something most pickleball players take for granted: paddles and balls.

Not as luggage.
Not as extras.
But as opportunity.

Susan is traveling as part of Operation PaddleLift™, a global initiative designed to bring pickleball equipment to countries where the passion for the sport already exists—but access to gear does not. Her goal is clear and urgent:

To help raise $20,000 to deliver pickleball equipment to communities across Africa and other emerging pickleball nations.

What Is Operation PaddleLift™?

Operation PaddleLift™ is a global effort led by the Global Pickleball Federation (GPF) in partnership with the Pickleball for Good Fund—a nonprofit dedicated to using pickleball as a force for access, inclusion, and community impact.

The initiative is overseen by Ruth Rosenquist, Chair of GPF’s Community Development Committee, whose leadership has helped shape Operation PaddleLift™ into a practical, impact-driven model for global growth.

The idea is simple but powerful:

Many emerging GPF member countries are eager to grow pickleball, but equipment costs, shipping, and duties create logistical barriers. Operation PaddleLift™ removes those barriers by funding the delivery of starter kits directly to nations that are ready to build programs from the ground up.

Each GPF Member Kit includes:

20 paddles
36 Franklin X-40 pickleballs
4 portable nets

One kit can turn a schoolyard, parking lot, or community space into four courts where pickleball—and community—can grow.

Why Susan’s Trip Matters

Susan isn’t just supporting Operation PaddleLift™ from behind a screen—she’s helping move it forward in a very real way.

Susan is a member of GPF’s Community Development Committee and, while traveling to Africa for her day job, will also be carrying pickleball equipment in her role as Founder and Board President of the Pickleball for Good Fund. During the trip, she will help deliver paddles and balls directly to national federations within the Confederation of African Pickleball, which will then distribute the equipment to their members, including organizations like the Uganda Pickleball Association.

This is what “PaddleLift” really looks like.

No middlemen.
Just people helping people—one handoff at a time.

Susan describes it as “a trip of a lifetime,” and for the players receiving this equipment, it truly is.

Why This Matters Beyond the Court

Pickleball’s global growth isn’t just about sport—it’s about opportunity.

In African countries, including Uganda, pickleball is already helping to:

Drive youth engagement
Create leadership and economic opportunities
Build community pride
Expand access to the sport for women and under-resourced communities

The local champions are already there.
The players are ready.
They just need the equipment.

Operation PaddleLift™ helps close that gap while supporting pickleball’s long-term international growth—a critical step toward the sport’s future on the world stage.