As pickleball continues to grow across the country, its greatest impact is often found in the communities it brings together.
PPR-certified coach Mario Bates is helping lead that impact in Chicago and throughout the Midwest through Different Strokes Pickleball
Group
, an organization dedicated to expanding access to quality coaching, mentorship, and opportunity in underserved communities. Through youth programs, coach development, and community engagement, Mario is using pickleball as a tool for connection, wellness, and positive change.
For the past three years, PPR has partnered with Riah Inc. Mentoring Group and Different Strokes Pickleball Group to help expand opportunities for youth and families throughout Chicago’s South Side. Through PPR workshop scholarships, coaches have gained the education, structure, and confidence needed to deliver quality instruction while serving as mentors and leaders within their communities.
Their impact extends far beyond the court. Through after-school enrichment programs, youth and adult clinics, community tournaments, coaching development, and mentorship initiatives, Different Strokes is helping make the sport more accessible while creating spaces where individuals feel supported, empowered, and connected.
For Mario, the mission is deeply personal. A mentor for more than three decades and founder of Riah International, he has dedicated his life to helping young people build confidence, develop life skills, and pursue positive paths forward. After discovering pickleball, he recognized the sport’s unique ability to bring people together
and create growth opportunities. That vision continues to inspire the work being
done today.
As the pickleball community grows, partnerships like these remind us that the future of the sport depends on more than participation. It depends on investing in coaches, mentors, and leaders who are committed to creating opportunities where they are needed most. By supporting programs that expand access to quality coaching and mentorship, we’re helping ensure that pickleball remains a sport that welcomes, uplifts, and connects communities for generations to come.
Thank you to Riah Inc. Mentoring Group, Different Strokes Pickleball Group, the Salvation Army Kroc Center, and Mario Bates for demonstrating how pickleball can be a powerful force for connection, inclusion, and lasting community impact.
This is how we grow the game from the ground up.
