Children's Healing Center Fundraiser Brings Pop-Up Pickleball to Great Lakes Club

The Children's Healing Center is bringing its annual Pop-Up Play fundraiser to the courts on March 19, taking over Great Lakes Pickleball Club in the Grand Rapids area for an evening of scramble-format pickleball from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. Tickets run $150 per person and include complimentary food and drinks, with every dollar going toward keeping the Center's programs completely free for immunocompromised kids and their families.

Pop-Up Play is designed to move. Each year the event drops into a new location with a new theme, and 2026's pickleball edition lands at what's billed as the region's newest indoor pickleball venue. "We wanted an event that was exciting and fresh every time we held it," said Melissa Block, Director of Development and Growth at the Children's Healing Center. "We pop up in a new location every year."

The format on the courts will be a pickleball scramble: players form two lines along the court and rotate in one after another, keeping the action continuous and the barrier to entry low whether you're a seasoned banger or picking up a paddle for the first time. "It's a really fast-pace opportunity to play for a while," Block said.

The stakes behind the rally are real. The Children's Healing Center describes itself as the nation's first year-round recreation center where kids and young adults with weak immune systems can interact in a safe space, with programming that emphasizes research-based play, socialization and learning. None of that comes with a bill for qualifying families. "It helps us fund our free programs and services that we have for members," Block said. "This event is critical in making sure we can continue offering everything free of charge."

The 2026 sponsor roster includes a broad cross-section of West Michigan businesses and family donors. Paddle Sponsors include AntorTravel, Baudville, Buist Electric, Erhardt Construction, First Companies, Journey Construction Group, Legacy Trust, RDV, Troost Service Company, Inc., and Randi Wilson and the Koontz Family. Ace Sponsors include The Architectural Group, Bob's Discount Furniture Charitable Foundation, Lacks Enterprises, Treadstone Funding, Williams Form Engineering Corp, Sabo PR, SHARPE, Dixon Interior Design, Kent Commerce Center, and several individual family donors including Dr. John and Melinda Kopec and the Phillip and Beth Nicholson Family alongside Andrew and Rebecca Becker Family.

Tickets are available through the Children's Healing Center website. Anyone with questions can reach Melissa Block directly at mblock@childrenshealingcenter.org or 616-426-8366. With the event three days out, the window to get on the court for a good cause is closing fast.