02/20/2026
WOW. Our hearts are so incredibly full. 💛
With the proceeds from our 2025 Pickleball Tournament, we were once again able to support the Anita Stewart Oncology Center — and this year, the impact was EVEN GREATER.
What started in 2024 as a vision from our Charity Outreach Committee has quickly grown into something deeply meaningful. We launched this annual tournament in honor of former Association Executive Layne Chung and former Century 21 Smith,Branch agent, REALTOR® and dear friend Ronnie Dunn — two people whose lives and legacies continue to move us. Both bravely fought cancer, and though they are no longer with us, their strength still serves as our rally cry. 🕊️💛
Over the past two years, this tournament has been more than just friendly competition on the courts. It has been about showing up. It has been about community. It has been about turning heartbreak into hope.
By working closely alongside the Anita Stewart Oncology Center, we’ve made it our mission to understand what incoming patients truly need. With the funds raised, we purchase and assemble patient care bags that are given to individuals at their very first visit — a moment that can feel overwhelming, uncertain, and heavy.
Each bag is thoughtfully packed with comfort and care: crossword puzzles to pass the long hours, fuzzy socks for warmth, earplugs for rest, cozy blankets, hand sanitizer, ChapStick, and other small but meaningful essentials — all tucked inside an easy-to-carry tote. They may look simple, but they carry so much love. 🎗️
In our very first year, we were overwhelmed by the support of our members and our community. This year? We doubled our proceeds. Doubled the impact. Doubled the love. 💛
Last week, our Charity Outreach Committee gathered to stuff bags — sharing stories, laughter, and a few emotional moments along the way.
Yesterday, we delivered the first 100 bags to the Anita Stewart Oncology Center, with plans to provide 200 more, and additional support still to come.
During our visit, we learned that roughly 600 individuals in the Tifton area alone are diagnosed with some form of cancer each year. Six hundred neighbors. Six hundred families. Six hundred lives changed.
Those numbers are staggering.
And to those walking through treatment right now — we see you. We honor you. We are inspired by your courage, your grit, and your resilience. Cancer may be a tough opponent, but so are you. 💪💛 We are in your corner, and we will continue to rally behind you.
We are also incredibly grateful to the local businesses, community members, affilliates, and board members who donated to our silent auction,showed up, played, sponsored, and supported, and to our Charity Outreach Committee members who spent countless hours planning, promoting, organizing, and pouring their hearts into this event.
This tournament may be played with paddles and pickleballs… but its true power is found in people and community. 🏓💛
Together, we are serving hope, returning strength, and making an impact that goes far beyond the court.✨
