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From Boreal Community Media - November 19, 2024

Welcome to the 2024 Boreal Community Media virtual non-profit highlight! In the past, Boreal Community Media hosted an event called Dessert to the Max to celebrate and recognize local non-profits and their incredible work for the community. The event typically coincided with the Minnesota-based celebration Give to the Max, hosted by GiveMN, an annual celebration and “giving holiday” to all non-profits across the state. 

This year, instead of an in-person celebration, Boreal is virtually honoring and highlighting these organizations on Boreal.org. 

The non-profit organization we’re highlighting today is:

Organization Name

Cook County Tennis and Pickleball Association

Mission/Work

The mission of the Cook County Tennis and Pickleball Association is to promote and develop the growth of tennis and pickleball in Cook County by providing quality tennis and pickleball programs, events, and instruction for all ages and ability levels in a safe, healthy, and engaging environment. The CCTPA strives to offer high-quality events and programming with well-qualified and enthusiastic instructors and helps maintain a top-rated tennis and pickleball facility that all players and students (i.e., physical education classes) are welcome to use.

We aim to manage our finances in a sound and effective manner to best support our mission and to make our programs affordable for everyone. We want everyone to have the opportunity to learn and enjoy the lifetime sports of tennis and pickleball. The CCTPA also wants to encourage anyone who might be interested in tennis and pickleball to join our organization and help support the growth of these sports and their many benefits to a healthy lifestyle. We also encourage more young and middle-aged adults to become involved in leadership positions and as volunteers so we can continue to move forward with the growth of tennis and pickleball in our county.

The CCTPA has also greatly benefitted and been successful in partnering with other community organizations, both in Cook County and beyond, such as the Cook County YMCA, Cook County area schools, Cook County Government, City of Grand Marais, Cook County Chamber of Commerce, Visit Cook County, local businesses, Thunder Bay tennis and pickleball organizations, and the USTA (National and Northern Section).

Upcoming events

We will continue to host at least one winter and one summer pickleball tournament. Stay tuned in for dates, or go to our website ( cookcountytennisassociation.com ). The Fisherman’s Picnic Tennis Tournament is always a fun event to play in or watch. Open pickleball times are available at the YMCA gym now and through the winter months. Anyone is welcome to play!

A fun fact about Cook County Tennis and Pickleball Association

The Cook County Tennis Association was formed in 1992, starting with twelve enthusiastic tennis players. Its membership grew to around one hundred by the year 2001, when it was chosen as the Organization of the Year in the USTA Northern Section (MN, ND, SD, and part of WI). In 2018, pickleball started to become more popular in Cook County, and some of the leaders in tennis and pickleball felt it was in both of the groups’ best interests to combine into one organization, work together, and share the outdoor tennis facility with both groups. Many pickleball players are former tennis players, and in a community, our size-sharing facilities make a lot of sense. It's fun to see people enjoying both lifetime sports, but pickleball seems to be growing faster than any other sport these days.

How someone can donate

Anyone interested in making a gift donation to the Cook County Tennis and Pickleball Association can go to our website at cookcountytennisassociation.com and click on “Donation,” or you can send a check made out to CCTPA, to PO Box 34, Grand Marais, MN 55604. Your gift is, of course, tax-deductible. Thank you in advance!

Learn more

For a list of all the organizations we’ve highlighted this month, click here.

About Boreal 

Boreal Community Media is a 501 (c)(3) non-profit corporation designed to share stories, news, and information about community activities to keep our local Cook County community connected through our website, boreal.org. In addition, we offer a free business directory, classified advertising platform, and regional events calendar to keep community members up-to-date and engaged throughout the Grand Marais, Gunflint Trail, Hovland, Grand Portage, Lutsen, Sawbill Trail, Schroeder, Tofte, and the greater Arrowhead region. Our small but mighty team comprises two part-time employees, talented freelance writers, and event photographers. 

We rely on community members' financial support to continue providing the services you and others depend on each and every day. Learn more here.

If you work for, run, or know of a non-profit that would like to be highlighted sometime during the month of November, click here.