LUNG FORCE Pickleball Tournament Feb. 21 Raises Funds for American Lung Association

More than 100 business leaders, families and pickleball players gathered at Pickles at Forté, 1032 Fort Street Mall in downtown Honolulu and helped raise $30,350 for the American Lung Association in Hawai‘i at the third annual LUNG FORCE Pickleball Tournament on February 21, 2026. HawaiiNewsNow reported organizers had set a $25,000 goal and that the event surpassed it, finishing with the $30,350 total.

Pedro Haro, executive director at the American Lung Association, framed the tournament as both a fundraiser and an awareness effort. “What we’re trying to do is raise funds, but also raise awareness about lung cancer,” Haro said, adding, “A lot of people don’t know that lung cancer is the number one cancer killer of men and women in Hawaii, so that’s part of what we’re trying to do here, that everybody walks away with a little bit of knowledge, and we’re also able to save a lot of people’s lives.”

Pre-event materials published by Hawaii Pickleball Magazine and Hawaiipickleball showed the tournament had been promoted as the Third Annual LUNG FORCE Pickleball Tournament hosted by the American Lung Association - LUNG FORCE (Hawaii). Those pages listed registration mechanics and fees: an Early Bird General Admission rate of $70 through January 21, 2026, and a General Admission rate of $80 after that date. The pre-event listing also noted that “By registering, players agree to the Liability Waiver,” and that the schedule of play and format were “coming soon” or “TBD” at the time of promotion.

Organizers and local partners used sponsorships to underwrite the fundraiser. Hawaii Pickleball Magazine listed partners including Hop Sport Medicine, On Point Sports, Lanikai CBD Sports Therapy, Pension Professionals, Honzas Watches, Guild Mortgage Hawaii and Hawaii Pickleball Magazine itself. The sponsorship form instructed companies to submit materials to Athletic Director Ruth Magelssen at Rmagelssen@thepacificclub.org, and the event page specified a courtside banner opportunity at $500 per company banner.

Although HawaiiNewsNow carried the post-event recap with turnout and fundraising totals, pre-event pages and the American Lung Association site provided additional contact and organizational details. Event inquiries can be directed to the American Lung Association in Hawai‘i at (808) 537-5966 or alahawaii@lung.org; the ALA local office is listed at 1050 Queen St Suite 100, Honolulu, HI 96814 with phone (808) 377-6248. The national Lung HelpLine appears on ALA materials as 1-800-LUNG-USA / 1-800-586-4872, and the American Lung Association’s tax ID is shown as 13-1632524.

HawaiiNewsNow noted that “Although the tournament is over, supporters can still donate to the American Lung Association,” and the post-event total of $30,350 stands as the latest public fundraising figure for the third annual LUNG FORCE Honolulu Pickleball Tournament.