MT. JULIET, Tenn. (WTVF) — For the past several years, the popularity of pickleball has been surging. One man is now using the sport to do some good in his community.
"I'm a certified pickleball instructor," smiled Seth Zamek. "Believe it or not, there is such a thing."
One thing about Seth. He can sell you on pickleball.
"It's good exercise, gets you outside," he said, making the pitch. "It's good for the body, good for the brain."
Seth said there's an importance to teaching pickleball at Del Webb at Lake Providence, an adult community of people 55 and older.
"There are more than a hundred folks living here who either have Alzheimer's or dementia," Seth said. "There is strategy and tactics in pickleball, which is good for your brain, and it's a social game."
Before Seth came here, he ran a home health care business working with seniors.
"More than half of the folks we cared for had dementia, Alzheimer's, or some other form of dementia," Seth said.
All of this has led Seth to finding ways to help people.
June 20 from 7 in the morning to 5 in the afternoon, Seth's hosting pickleball tournaments at Del Webb at Lake Providence in Mt. Juliet. Donations are through The Longest Day fundraiser benefiting the Alzheimer's Association Tennessee chapter.
The pictures on a board show some of the people in this community whose lives have been touched by Alzheimer's.
"To the extent the whole community can wrap their arms around those individuals, those families, it's great," said Seth. "It's great we can provide that support and awareness. A lot of those folks, they live in shadows, if you will. We just want to bring this disease out into the daylight on The Longest Day."
For more on Seth's The Longest Day event, visit online.
Also, there's still time to set up The Longest Day events through the Alzheimer's Association Tennessee chapter.
Journalism is at its best when we can shine a light on an issue that needs more attention. Once again, Hannah McDonald does this beautifully by highlighting the hardships of teens aging out of the foster care system. I learned something new in her reporting and am inspired by the work I AM NEXT is doing to make a difference. I think you will be too!
-Carrie Sharp
