Donate an EPC Paddle for Ukranian Refugees in Germany
“More than half the folks are Ukrainian, the others German. These are not all of the Ukrainians who come to play, just the ones who were there that day.”
Diane and Dale with Fred Schlicting, pickleball coach, at TurnGemeinde Schwalbach sport club in Schwalbach, Germany.
Diane and Dale Jeffries, EPC members, write from Germany: “We’ve played pickleball a couple of times with a burgeoning pickleball group here in Germany. (We are visiting our daughter and family in the Frankfurt area, where pickleball is just taking off). What surprised us today was the group of Ukrainian refugees who were there playing their first pickleball ever, courtesy of this local German pickleball club (TurnGemeinde Schwalbach sport club in Schwalbach, Germany.)
“There were men, women and children playing. They spoke very little German (or English). But it didn’t get in the way of their running, laughing and enjoying themselves. Pickleball is giving them a sense of normalcy, community and providing a healthy outlet for them physically, emotionally, and spiritually during this horrible experience they’re enduring. It was very heartwarming to see.
“Which brings us to the point of this message. They need paddles. They only have a few extras. The young man, Fred Schlicting, who leads the pickleball effort here is a 4.0 but his heart is at least a 10. When we asked him what we could contribute to the sports club in exchange for playing at their facility, he asked if we had access to paddles as he frequently runs short, especially lately, for the increasing number of participants.
With that in mind, do you think this would be of interest to EPC? Fred envisions this as supporting much more than just pickleball; he sees it as an international relations, humanitarian effort. In a way, it really is.”
Yes, we’re all in. Now we can donate a new Paddletek Club paddle with the EPC logo, and inscribed with Sláva Ukrayíni! (Glory to Ukraine!) - the national rallying cry.
According to Wikipedia, “In the Soviet Union the phrase was forbidden, as Soviet and later Russian authorities attempted to discredit it. The phrase resurfaced in Ukraine during the country's struggle for independence in connection with the fall of the Soviet Union,” and today is the salute to its heroes.
Thank you to Diane and Dale for recognizing an opportunity for us in Evergreen to do something for displaced Ukrainians who might find some joy and laughter in playing pickleball. The kind of joy and laughter we get to share every day.
Donate an EPC club paddle today. We’ll box and ship them to Germany. Each donor will receive a 5” EPC logo sticker as a thank you.