Three-Day Pickleball Tournament at Kauaʻi Community College Boosts Charity Walk Funds

About 140 teams registered for a three-day pickleball tournament played on the Kauaʻi Community College courts that wrapped up Sunday, March 1, 2026, and organizers say the event contributed about $10,000 toward the 2026 Visitor Industry Charity Walk. The tournament ran Friday through Sunday on the Lihuʻe campus and represented an increase from 118 teams who signed up for the 2025 event.

Play included high recreational and competitive divisions, with the 4.5 Mixed bracket on display Sunday. Pickleball player Brensten Chan and partner Jennifer Grady were photographed making returns and backing play at the net during 4.5 Mixed competition, images credited to Dennis Fujimoto. Spectators watched courtside as matches determined weekend winners and helped generate the tournament’s fundraising total.

The tournament’s contribution arrives as the Visitor Industry Charity Walk aims for a $700,000 target in its 47th anniversary year. The Kaua‘i walk is chaired by Aaron Bambling, general manager of Koloa Landing Resort, and co-chaired by Michael Gibson, general manager of the Grand Hyatt Kauai Resort and Spa. The county’s Charity Walk is scheduled for May 2 at the Vidinha Stadium soccer field, with registration starting at 6 a.m., runners departing at 7 a.m., and walkers following at 7:05 a.m.

Samira Siale, director of the Hawaii Lodging and Tourism Association, Kaua‘i Chapter, framed the tournament’s role in that push, saying, “We’re going to make it!” She added, “Last year, we came close to the goal. This year, we’re going to hit the goal, or better yet, we’re going over.”

Organizers reported the roughly $10,000 boost as part of grassroots fundraising that supplements broader seasonal drives; the Visitor Industry Charity Walk historically returns funds to local nonprofits and last year’s Kaua‘i totals exceeded $620,000 for more than 60 charities. Since the Charity Walk began in 1974 and expanded statewide in 1978, more than $47 million has been raised statewide, underscoring the event’s long-running role in island philanthropy.

Archived promotional materials for related or prior pickleball events list a $100 per person entry for three days and prize packages that include hotel stays and restaurant certificates, while separate event materials dated November 14–16, 2025 reference $28,745 in in-kind support and name Child & Family Service as a beneficiary. Organizers of the March 1, 2026 tournament tied that weekend’s proceeds specifically to the 2026 Charity Walk, and the weekend’s increase to about 140 teams adds measurable momentum to the island’s fundraising calendar as May 2 approaches.