Building Community and Confidence Through Pickleball

Meet Daily Point of Light Award honoree Reid Jarjosa. Read his story, and nominate an outstanding volunteer or family as a Daily Point of Light. 

Reid Jarjosa’s volunteerism through City Pickle has brought incredible impact to Detroit’s youth. Founded in 2022, City Pickle is a nonprofit organization that uses pickleball to engage kids in active, social recreation while building their confidence and teamwork skills. Reid is not only the founder but also a dedicated volunteer, helping run programs for children aged 5 to 17 in partnership with Detroit Parks and Recreation and the Boys & Girls Club of Southeastern Michigan.  

To date, City Pickle has trained over 1,500 kids across 10 locations, offering fun and structured pickleball activities during both summer and after-school programs. By providing access to free sports opportunities, City Pickle fosters community spirit and encourages healthy lifestyles in underserved neighborhoods. Reid’s passion for this work and his efforts to expand these programs to more locations are helping Detroit’s youth grow in ways that extend far beyond the pickleball court. 

City Pickle’s programs focus not just on athletic skills but also on personal growth, teaching participants the values of teamwork, perseverance and healthy competition. By organizing events like round-robin tournaments, Reid fosters a sense of community while offering kids an outlet to develop both physically and socially. 

Read on to learn more about Reid’s commitment to ensuring that children of all backgrounds have access to these opportunities. 

Tell us about your volunteer role. 

I started City Pickle, which is an organization that develops kids socially and athletically through pickleball. I started this organization when I was down in Detroit and I noticed there were a lot of unused tennis courts, overgrown with weeds. This sparked an idea, as I was going into my ninth grade year, about how I could make a meaningful impact by converting these courts into pickleball courts, getting kids to play on them and teach that sport, which I had been learning and my family and friends had been playing.  

I’m a junior now, and pickleball has exploded. It’s currently the fastest-growing sport in America. These kids in Detroit deserved to be exposed to this sport, which is being played everywhere. I didn’t want them to be left behind. To be able to get outside and get active throughout the whole year is really great. We’re partnering with the Boys and Girls Club and we instruct their kids a couple times a week. We’re also with Detroit Parks and Rec, instructing their kids as well. 

Some of these courts are in pretty bad condition and might be unusable, and in those cases, we go into the gym for pickleball. We focus on teaching and instructing kids about the sport and getting them more active. We have summer camps in the summer and those kids are coming there daily or every other day. Some of them are in foster care and we might see them once a month, here and there or not very often. The consistency is a very difficult situation for them as they don’t always know where they’re going to be living or who will be taking care of them. That can make it difficult, because I want to build a relationship with each of the kids, learning their names, how they play, what they’re interested in. But we do have kids who are pretty consistently there too. 

Why is this issue so important to you? 

Obesity is a very big problem in this country, especially in lower-income communities. Getting kids active helps with that issue. Socially it’s crucial as well. Since the pandemic, it’s been difficult for kids to socialize, and they missed out on a couple of years of social growth. So now, they’re able to grow and communicate with each other through pickleball and through the structured engagement City Pickle offers.

What are your long-term plans or goals for the organization? 

Within the next couple of years, we’d like to expand to more locations. The Boys and Girls Club has over 10 locations. Right now, we’re with them two times a week in the winters and three or four times a week in the summers. But I think being there daily as a part of structured programming, and getting to know the kids better and more consistently would be great. For that, we will require more volunteers as we grow.  

Even longer-term goals would be bringing this to other cities, like Chicago – which isn’t too far from Detroit – and getting even more kids involved in the sport.  

What’s been the most rewarding part of your work? 

Last Christmas, we wrapped little presents in holiday paper and went down to Detroit a couple of days before Christmas to give them out. We had fidget spinners, slinkies, boxes of slime, fun items like that. Everyone opened their gifts, but this one little girl just wouldn’t open hers. When another volunteer and I asked her why, she said it was because it was the only thing she was getting that year, so she wanted to save it for Christmas Day. After that, I went to Target and bought her a couple more gifts. It was a moment I realized, “this is why I do this.” 

What have you learned through your experiences as a volunteer? 

I’ve learned about the impact you can make on a person’s life just giving two or three hours a day. Getting involved in the community has been really meaningful for me, as well as everyone else who volunteers. The smiles on these kids’ faces when they get donated paddles and nets – the enjoyment and surprise on their faces is always amazing. When I’m driving back from our events, it just makes my whole week better.

Why is it important for others to get involved with causes they care about? 

It’s important for people – kids and adults – to be part of something bigger than themselves, as well as being part of a community. Some of these people are just casual players, who might have some experience working with kids. That combination works really well. They’re able to give a couple of hours to show kids a sport that they spend a lot of time playing and really enjoy. Sharing that experience with the kids makes a really profound impact. 

Any advice for people who want to start volunteering? 

For high schoolers, there are lots of opportunities. I originally went to my church, which had a bunch of sign-up service opportunities. They come pick you up and then tell you what kind of service work you’re going to do that day – whether it’s taking out trash for some communities or cleaning up a yard. You can get a couple of community service hours. That’s a big way of getting involved. For adults, there are also a lot of opportunities. Looking into community center sign-ups or online for opportunities are great places to start. 

Do you want to make a difference in your community like Reid? Find local volunteer opportunities.