Pickleball tournament supports after-school programs for Asian American youths

*Winners of the intermediate men’s division, with AALEAD Executive Director Siu Cheung Rossmark on the left and Board Chair Robert Sohn on the right. [Photos: AALEAD]*

A pickleball tournament on Saturday at the Down the Line Sports Center in Annandale raised funds for Asian American LEAD, an organization that supports after-school leadership development programs for Asian American youths.

The event featured a pickleball clinic, recreational games, and a tournament for competitive players.

The event was AALEAD’s first pickleball fundraiser, says the organization’s executive director, Siu Cheung Rossmark. “We’re taking something that’s hot and trendy and bringing folks out to have fun while raising money to support a nonprofit.” The event netted $5,000 for AALEAD’s programs.

About 100 people participated. Joola, one of the top pickleball paddle companies in the U.S., sponsored the event and donated prizes to the tournament winners. Sodexo employees’ Pan Asian Network Group was also a sponsor.

*Players get ready to compete in AALEAD’s pickleball tournament.*

AALEAD provides weekly after-school programs at 60 schools in D.C., Maryland, and Virginia, including six schools in Fairfax County: Annandale and Falls high schools and Poe, Holmes, Jackson, and Kilmer middle schools.

The program focuses on identity development, educational empowerment, leadership development, and social, emotional, and mental wellness, Rossmark says.

AALEAD was founded in 1998 to assist young Vietnamese refugees and immigrants in Washington, D.C. Over the years, the organization expanded to serve Asian American and other students from immigrant families in lower-income communities throughout the region.

The nonprofit also offers a summer program, mentoring, and a youth council.

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