Pickleball Tourney Raises $30K For WVU Medicine Outpatient Children’s Center

Pictured in front row, from left, are: hospital Associate Vice President of Foundation and Community Relations Jessica Moore; JD&E President/CEO and Wheeling Hospital Medical Park Foundation Board Member Mike Leo; and WVU Medicine Regional President and Wheeling Hospital President/CEO Douglass Harrison. Back row, from left, are: Ohio Valley Pickleball Club members JT Thomas, Joel Peluchette, and Founder/President Nathan Peluchette; Pine Room Studios members Mark Delbrugge, Jub Delbrugge, Brian Campbell, and Jarrett Delbrugge. Photo by Niamh Coomey.
A community pickleball tournament over the weekend raised $30,000 for the WVU Medicine Wheeling Hospital’s children’s outpatient care facility slated to begin construction in 2025.
The tournament, put on by the Ohio Valley Pickleball Club and hosted by the Highlands Sports Complex, drew more than 100 participants and many volunteers and sponsors, said club President Nathan Peluchette.
This is the first time the club has worked directly with the hospital, he said. Their goal was to offer a high-end pickleball tournament opportunity for local athletes while giving back.
“It was just an opportunity for us to use pickleball to also support the community and give back to a valuable resource for families moving forward,” Peluchette said.
Peluchette said the club is proud to have raised much more than they thought they would be able to. They are looking to build off of the success and continue to hold similar events in the future.
“The support was inspiring. We are very happy with how our first one turned out and look forward to what we can turn it into,” he said. “It far exceeded our expectations.”
The Pickleball Club is an outlet for athletes of all skill levels to learn and play together, whether socially or in leagues and tournaments, Peluchette said. The club uses the sporting complex in Triadelphia and the courts at Oglebay when the weather gets warmer.
“If you’re not in the game and are interested in the game we just encourage people to get out and get involved,” he said.
WVU Medicine Wheeling Hospital President Douglass Harrison said discussions about the tournament fundraiser idea started around a year ago.
Leadership thought since pickleball is a relatively new, up-and-coming sport it would be a fun and different way to get people out and participating.
“To watch the community rally around this and the support that we had — and the number of people that came out to participate — I mean it was impressive,” Harrison said. “We were extremely thrilled with the results and we hope to do it again next year.”
The $30,000 raised will go toward general funding for the new center and getting construction off the ground this year, Harrison said. The hospital is looking forward to being able to expand pediatric care opportunities in the Ohio Valley.
“We’re excited to get that project started here in 2025. It will be a great resource for our children and our community and the direct tie back to the WVU Medicine Children’s Hospital back in Morgantown,” he said.