Batesville students host pickleball tournament to support Safe Passage

Teenage pickleball players in Batesville are turning a fast-growing hobby sport into something more practical: a fundraiser for Safe Passage, the local nonprofit that supports victims of domestic and sexual violence. The Kiwanis Student Leadership Academy at Batesville High School is organizing the tournament for Saturday, May 9, at 10 a.m. at the BHS Tennis Courts, with entries set at $30 per participant.

For local amateurs, the setup is simple. Community members were invited to play, and registration closed April 14, giving students a straightforward way to channel weekend court time into direct support for a shelter and service provider that works across southeast Indiana. In a sport built on quick games and easy entry, the fundraiser fits the format well, and every paddle swing sends money to a cause that reaches far beyond Batesville.

Safe Passage is based in Batesville and operates a 30-bed shelter that opened in 2004. The organization was founded in 1998 and serves Dearborn, Franklin, Ripley, Switzerland, Ohio and Jefferson counties. It says it helps about 1,300 survivors and their children each year through shelter, outreach and helpline services, and it has served more than 16,000 domestic and sexual violence victims and their children since launching.

The nonprofit’s work goes well beyond a bed for the night. Safe Passage says it provides 24/7 help, emergency shelter, advocacy, case management, legal and housing assistance, counseling, children’s programming and prevention education. It also offers free helpline and text-based support for people who need help quickly or want a quieter first step.

That makes the student-led tournament more than a campus event. It is a local effort aimed at a service network that has to stay ready every day, from immediate shelter needs to longer-term case management and counseling. For Batesville players, the attraction is not just a chance to compete on the BHS courts. It is the chance to use one of the region’s most accessible amateur sports to support a shelter that keeps working when the games are over.