BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (KERO) — Looking for a fundraiser that will make you get your game on? One organization is raising funds by also raising the racket.
Pickleball is a sport that has been around for over 50 years and is still growing. Sports enthusiasts can watch the sport in action, as the Bakersfield Ronald McDonald House is hosting its 2nd annual Pickleball Open on Sat, March 5.
The Bakersfield Pickleball Open will take place at the Bakersfield Country Club. It will have a VIP lounge and a championship court. There will also be a silent auction area, as well as different pickleball vendors.
Kern County, as well as other parts of California, are coming out to support the tournament, according to event organizer Al Romero. He says that those in the First Responders Division will be taking a break from fighting fires and crime and taking a chance to win on the court.
“We have LA County coming down," said Romero. "We've got Kern County Fire, Bakersfield City Fire, North Kern Valley Prison, and Bakersfield Police Department.”
Romero says that the tournament has raised about $22,000 as of Thurs, March 4. All of that money will stay in Kern County, going back to families in need.
”Our families are burdened by sometimes financial or emotional stress and that's where the Bakersfield Ronald McDonald House comes in," explained Romero. "Ronald McDonald House comes in completely to help out these families that are in crisis with financial and emotional stress.”
Romero emphasized that this Pickleball Open is going to be just part one of a project set to be unveiled by the Ronald McDonald House. They will announce the project during the opening ceremonies on Saturday but have hinted that it is something that has not yet been brought to Kern County.
