Gilmer Pickleball Club raises $3,000 for local nonprofits in Ellijay

A volunteer-run tournament in Ellijay turned pickleball entry fees into $3,000 for three nonprofits, and the money went right back into the same community where the club plays. Gilmer Pickleball Club members later voted to split the proceeds among the Gilmer Community Food Pantry, Friends of the Gilmer Animal Shelter and the Gilmer Warming Center, with each group receiving $1,000.

The choices were not random. Many club members are pet owners, which helped push the animal shelter support to the top. The warming center felt especially close to home because its entrance is on the same side of the building as the pickleball courts at the Gilmer County Civic Center, 1561 South Main Street, and it can house about 20 people with cots, bedclothes, warm meals and breakfast. The food pantry was another natural fit: it is a 100% volunteer operation, has served Gilmer County since 2001, and says many elderly residents, disabled people, people with medical conditions and low-income families with small children depend on the food it provides.

Club Secretary Lori Smailes said the members took pride in returning money to the community where it was raised, and that sense of belonging showed in the way the club rallied around the cause. Gilmer Pickleball Club has about 120 members and uses an 8-court outdoor facility at Gilmer County Parks & Recreation, 1561 South Main Street in Ellijay, where the general public is welcome during club hours. Public nonprofit records identify Gilmer Pickleball Club Inc. as a 501(c)(3), which gives the fundraiser the kind of local legitimacy that helps a small club act like a real civic institution instead of just a place to dink and drive.

That model is already growing. The club is planning the Sasquatch Slam in October, a tournament expected to draw more than 200 players, including some from outside Georgia. Ellijay has seen this formula work before: Mountain Mayhem drew 280 players and raised $8,498 for Appalachian CASA in 2024, and a 2021 charity pickleball marathon raised money for local first responders. In Gilmer County, the social side of pickleball is no longer an afterthought. It is the engine that turns a weekend tournament into a community benefit.