Helping Heroes pickleball tournament returns, funds first responder wellness

A pickleball tournament that doubles as a Kids Fest will turn Limitless Park and the Winona Lake Beach into a two-day draw on July 18-19, with Project Ebenezer using its biggest fundraiser of the year to support first responder mental health across Kosciusko County. The setup widens the net beyond serious players: families get a free, family-friendly Kids Fest from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. on both days, while the courts carry the event’s core fundraising mission.

Registration for the 2026 K21 Helping Heroes Pickleball Tournament runs through July 14, and one tournament listing puts the entry fee at $50 per player. The event is open to players of all ages and skill levels, from beginners to advanced competitors, and it is being billed first and foremost as a fundraiser built around fun, sportsmanship and community impact. Tournament scores will not be reported to DUPR, underscoring that the emphasis is on participation and purpose rather than rankings.

The Kids Fest gives the weekend a broader appeal and a bigger public-service footprint. From 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. both days, children will be able to meet local first responders and take in K9 demonstrations, fire equipment, ambulance tours, a corrections display booth, face painting and other activities. That family programming should keep the sidelines busy while players rotate through their matches.

The venue itself helps explain why the event has become such a strong local fit. Prior listings for Winona Lake Limitless Park describe a splash pad, beach area, open pavilion, park space and greenway trail, all of which make the site more than a standard tournament stop. Past editions have also carried a rain plan that moved play indoors to the TRAC at Warsaw Community High School, giving organizers a built-in fallback if weather turns.

The cause behind the brackets is just as important as the brackets themselves. Project Ebenezer says it exists to support the mental health and wellness of Kosciusko County first responders by providing financial resources for treatment and connecting responders to professional help. The nonprofit said it already assisted 36 first responders in 2026 and has delivered multiple trainings on first responder mental health, showing the tournament sits inside a larger service model, not a one-off charity drive.

That track record gives this year’s event extra weight. Fundraising from the 2024 Helping Heroes tournament helped Project Ebenezer directly assist 14 Kosciusko County first responders and speak to more than 420 first responders and community members about post-traumatic stress and available resources. Earlier coverage also showed the tournament’s unusual range, including a 2025 team with Cheryl Brandt, 80, and Teresa Triplett, 69. The returning format has become a rare amateur pickleball event that can fill courts, pull in families and move money toward a very specific public-safety need.