Rigby Pickle for a Purpose tournament raises funds for survivors' therapy

A first-year pickleball tournament in Rigby aimed squarely at one cause: funding women’s mental health therapy for survivors of sexual assault. United Voices Rising turned Rigby Tennis & Pickleball into a fundraiser with men’s, women’s and mixed doubles, making the event about much more than brackets and medals.

The tournament ran April 10 and April 11, 2026, with men’s doubles on Friday night, women’s doubles Saturday morning and mixed doubles Saturday afternoon. Divisions were listed at DUPR 3.5, 4.0 and 4.5, and the event was open to players 18 and older. Entry was $30 per person, with each player receiving a tournament T-shirt, swag bag and one raffle ticket. Cash prizes were on the line, and sponsorship opportunities helped broaden the fundraising reach.

What made the format stand out was the guarantee built into it: every team was promised five games of pool and tournament play. That meant players were not signing up for a one-and-done draw. They were buying into a full day of competitive pickleball, a structure that fits the way amateur players talk about value, court time and a chance to keep competing after the first whistle.

The cause behind the tournament gave the day a sharper purpose. United Voices Rising says its mission is to support women survivors of sexual assault through supervised ketamine therapy, trauma-informed resources and community education. The organization says it works to remove financial barriers to recovery, and its current goal is to raise $8,000, enough to cover treatment for one survivor plus operational expenses. It also runs the UVR Thrift Shoppe in Rexburg to help fund survivor-support programs.

United Voices Rising says founder Stacy Lauritzen started the organization after her own recovery journey as a survivor of sexual violence. That personal history shaped a fundraiser that connected competition to healing in a direct, local way. Instead of treating pickleball as a standalone social event, Pickle for a Purpose used the sport as a support network, bringing players, sponsors and raffle donors into the same effort.

Brailey Sponsler, who was listed as the contact for the tournament, said many sponsors provided raffle prizes and that she chose pickleball because she knew plenty of players and saw a niche that could attract people who wanted to compete while backing a good cause. She also said she hopes to make the tournament an annual tradition. If the turnout and fundraising hold, Rigby may have found a format other clubs will want to copy: a tournament that gives players real court time while making the benefit visible from the first serve.