The Joy Crazy Life 🌼

If you’ve taken one of my pickleball classes at Friendly House, you probably know that I have a bit of a soft spot for that place.

Actually, “soft spot” might be putting it mildly.

Friendly House has been a pretty important part of my journey over the past four years. And now I have an exciting opportunity to give a little something back.

I’ve been selected to be a Together For Good Ambassador for Friendly House’s capital campaign!

I was pretty excited when I got the invitation. In fact, my first thought was something along the lines of, “Oh my gosh, YES!”

If you read my last newsletter, you know that back in 2022, Friendly House took a chance on a very “green” pickleball instructor. I had only been teaching for a few months, didn’t have a fancy coaching resume, and was still figuring out what the heck I was doing.

But I had enthusiasm. I had a vision for helping people discover the joy of pickleball. And Aleris and Hugo at Friendly House were willing to give me a shot.

Four years and a whole lot of Joy Crazy and PCC Community Ed pickleball classes later, I’m still incredibly grateful they did.

Now it’s my turn.

Together For Good is a $4.8 million capital campaign to invest in the future of Friendly House. The newly renovated Brentano Building (one of three Friendly House buildings) is already serving the community in new ways, and the next major goal is improvements to the Crawford Building, home of the Community Center and gym.

And this is where you come in.

If Friendly House has been part of your pickleball journey, I’d love for you to take a minute and think about what that has meant to you.

Maybe you discovered pickleball there.🏓

Maybe you took your very first class with me there.🌼

Maybe you’ve played countless games in that gym, met new people, laughed on a day when you really needed a mental "boost," or finally figured out what the heck a third shot drop is.😎

Maybe Friendly House has simply given you a welcoming place to play, learn, connect, and be part of something.

That space doesn’t just magically maintain itself.

Here I am receiveing a sweet gift from my students, Gwen and Tami (Tami is pictured above), on the last day of class in August. 
It's a joy to teach and be appreciated.
It would mean the world to me if you could show your appreciation to Friendly House.

To make a donation to the Together For Good campaign, click here.

What does Friendly House need?

Some parts of the Community Center are now in need of repairs and improvements, and Friendly House wants to hear from the people who actually use the space.

Things like needed bathroom repairs may not sound particularly glamorous, but they are part of what makes a community center welcoming and functional for the people who depend on it.

Community sessions, open to the public, have already begun. The intent is to answer any questions about the capital campaign and to gather your input. 

If you contribute at the "Community Hug" level, or above, your name will be permanently recognized on the walls of the renovated Community Center.

Please note, this campaign is different from other fundraisers Friendly House holds throughout the year, like the Community Yard Sale or Spring Auction. Those events are wonderful ways to support Friendly House, but Together For Good is about making a much bigger, longer-term investment in the facility itself.

The hope is that people who have benefited from Friendly House will consider being generous in their giving, so that these improvements can have an impact for years to come.

As an Ambassador, I’ll be attending one of the upcoming community sessions this Friday morning, October 2nd at 9:00 a.m.

And I thought… why not make a little outing of it?

Come hang out with me!

Friday s 9 a.m. community session, held in the Friendly House Garden Room, is expected to wrap up before 10:00 a.m. 

Afterward, we could walk a block over to Haven Coffee Co. for tea, coffee, or a bite and catch up. ☕️🧋

No agenda. No pickleball lesson. Just a chance to visit.

I’ll also be wearing my Ambassador hat again on Thursday evening, October 8, at 7:00 p.m. for another community session in the Garden Room.

If you’d like to join me for that one, we could meet up beforehand, about 5:30 p.m. at Friendship Kitchen, the Vietnamese/Singaporean restaurant just a block away on NW Thurman Street. 🥢🍜🍚

Honestly, I think this could be a fun excuse to check out a couple of the less-busy spots in the Northwest neighborhood while supporting a place that has given so much to our community.

And yes, I would LOVE to catch up with you. Just hit "reply" to this email to let me know if you're interested.

Let's "Shine. Learn. Connect."

It occurs to me that the three words that are at the heart of Joy Crazy are also at the heart of why Friendly House has meant so much to me.

☀️ Shine: Friendly House gave a very green pickleball instructor a chance to step up and share what I loved.

📚 Learn: I’ve learned a LOT there. About pickleball, teaching, business, community, and myself.

👥 Connect: And this is the big one. Friendly House has given all of us a place to meet people, build relationships, and belong.

And maybe this is one of those moments when we get to do all three: show up, listen and learn, connect with our community, and help make sure Friendly House can continue to be a place where people can do those things for many years to come.

I hope you’ll consider joining me at one of the community sessions. 

And, if Friendly House has been meaningful to you, I hope you’ll  consider making a contribution to Together For Good. Click here to donate.

Hope to see you Friday morning, October 2nd or Thursday evening, October 8th! 

Stay tuned!