MEMPHIS, Tenn. — Every Tuesday, as part of our Greater Memphis on a Mission series, we highlight organizations making Memphis better. This week, we caught up with a group that believes in teaching life lessons through pickleball.

The ‘P’ in pickleball stands for participation, according to Taylor Taylor, founder and executive director of Picklemania.

“Participation and the value of participating in life. If you don’t participate in life, then you don’t have a very fulfilling life, right?” said Taylor.

Picklemania is a nonprofit organization that combines the joy of pickleball with social-emotional learning and character development.

“We took every letter of pickleball, and each letter represents a life lesson. The mission is to go into the under-resourced communities and teach these valuable lessons like patience, impulse control, and communication,” said Taylor.

They want to inspire positive transformation and create a healthier, more connected society.

“I love communication because it’s serve and return. ‘So, how are you?’ ‘I’m well, thank you.’ And I look you in the eye. But, like I serve the ball to you and you return the ball to me, and we’re paying attention and we’re connected and we’re sharing this experience over the net just like we share experiences interpersonally,” she said.

“Pickleball with purpose” is one of the programs they offer to schools, social-outreach organizations, and community centers. The all-ages aspect of pickleball is what Taylor loves most.

“Pickleball is for everyone. That’s the thing. I can’t play basketball. My mom can’t play basketball, but my mom can play pickleball with my 18 and 20-year-old children. It’s incredibly intergenerational,” Taylor said.

Pickleball equipment is inexpensive compared to other sports. Once learned, Picklemania noticed how quickly their participants shared their knowledge with others.

“They’re going to want to teach their friends and their family and their children and their grandchildren and everybody. So then all of a sudden, that’s where everyone’s going to meet at night and sit in the chair and visit with people until it’s their turn to play,” she said.

That is why Brown Missionary Baptist Church and the Mid-South Genesis CDC donated $1,000 to Picklemania. Because when you learn life lessons through a fun sport, you build a healthier community.