Mineola pickleball tournament raises thousands for pediatric cancer research

More than 150 players filled Pickleball Prime in Mineola for the Mary Ruchalski Foundation’s inaugural pickleball tournament, turning the June 14 event into several thousand dollars for pediatric cancer research and awareness. All proceeds went to pediatric cancer research and families with children undergoing treatment, and the turnout drew players from across Long Island, including East Setauket.

Carol Ruchalski said the Regan and Coghlan families were central to making the day work because they donated court use, supplied instructors and helped organize raffles. That kind of backing mattered at Pickleball Prime, the 10-court indoor facility at 205 E. Second St. owned by Kevin Coghlan, Maggie Regan and John Coghlan. With a ready-made venue and local support, the foundation was able to stage a polished tournament without the overhead that can sink smaller charity events.

Lindsay Ruchalski-Robinson and her husband, Stephen Robinson, chaired and ran the tournament, giving the event a family-led feel as well as a practical one. Each player received a lantern and a gold awareness ribbon tied to the foundation’s annual Light the Way Lantern Campaign, and participants also learned more about Mary Ruchalski and the organization’s mission. Throughout the day, conversations linked childhood cancer survivors and families with the foundation’s work, extending the event beyond the lines of the court.

The foundation, created in 2018, says it has now provided more than $1 million in combined support for pediatric cancer research and families. Through Dec. 31, 2024, it said it had issued $817,000 in pediatric cancer research grants and $215,000 in family support, including five research grants totaling $178,000 and another $37,000 in grants and other support to families in 2024 alone.

For amateur pickleball, Mineola showed the sport’s value as a fundraising engine: compact courts, scalable participation and a format that can pull in serious players, new supporters and a cause with a built-in local following. The foundation’s first annual tournament now gives Long Island clubs a working template for how pickleball can mobilize a crowd and raise money at the same time.