Ava Weissman, a high school student from South Florida, founded the nonprofit Pickleball 4 a Purpose to foster intergenerational connections through the sport of pickleball. Inspired by playing with her grandmother, Ava created tournaments where players under 21 are paired with those over 60 based on shared interests, promoting social interaction and combating loneliness, especially among seniors. Since its inception last summer, the nonprofit has expanded to 14 chapters across the Americas, raised $30,000 for youth and senior charities, and relies heavily on student volunteers and strategic networking to grow.
Ava’s entrepreneurial approach includes leveraging connections made through extracurricular activities like Model United Nations and creating accessible resources such as a chapter playbook to facilitate expansion. Her experience at Wharton’s Leadership in the Business World program helped her refine the nonprofit’s core competencies and inspired new ideas, such as incorporating creative media coverage. Despite challenges in gaining initial trust from sponsors, Ava’s perseverance and collaborative team efforts have been key to the organization’s success and sustainability, with plans to continue expanding and passing leadership on to future students.
