Greetings Pelican Lake Pickleballer’s. What a fantastic season! I hope everyone has fun and exciting plans for the summer! Next season will be here in no time and I’m sure we are all looking forward to seeing everyone back out on the courts. We are planning to make it even better for all of you pickleball lovers.

Some of you may have heard discussions about getting new and improved court lights so that we can have additional evening play. With improved and adequate lighting, we can have some exciting options such as starting round robin later when it gets hot, possibly having league events start later, include some evening community pickleball events, and allow those who do not want to play in the heat of the day to get some cool evening play in.

With the help of Brian Addotta and others, we have received a recommendation from a lighting engineer to replace the existing light heads with improved illumination performance. An electrician has evaluated our wiring and determined we have sufficient electrical infrastructure in place. Ken Mahler is communicating with KW and the Pelican Lake Board of Directors so they are aware that we plan to raise the funds and move forward with these lighting modifications. Therefore, we are looking to raise ~$21,000 in order to procure the lights, complete the installation and have funds for several other possible items. In addition to the lights there are a couple other court improvements we are hoping to accomplish with these funds also (i.e., fix those dead spots once and for all, add a live stream camera system and add more texture to the lines, etc.). We are asking for owner/user donations to fund this effort. (I think everyone knows the PB Tiki, ice machine and golf cart parking area were all funded through owner donations previously).

In order to receive the necessary funds as quickly as possible so that we can get this done during the Summer (exact timing TBD, but before we get back next season), we have setup a GoFundMe fundraiser account. All funds collected will be sent directly to Pelican Lake Motorcoach Resort and applied to a unique pickleball G/L account. Those funds will only be used for PB improvements and equipment to enhance the court area.

If you prefer to donate but to keep the amount and/or your name to remain anonymous, please send me a private message. GoFundMe will allow anonymous donations. For full transparency, GoFundMe keeps 2.9% of any contribution amount (e.g.- $14.50 on $500, $29 on $1000, etc).

You do not need to post your donations amounts to Telegram. We will determine how to recognize those who contribute (other than those who wish to remain anonymous) at a later date.

If you would like to contribute and prefer to write a check, please send it to:

Pelican Lake Motorcoach Resort

Attn: Pickleball Lighting

4555 Southern Breeze Drive

Naples, FL 34114

Clearly write “Pickleball Light Donation” on the memo section of your check.

We are hoping to meet our fundraising goal as soon as possible so that we can get started right away. Please contribute as soon as possible.

Pelican Lake has a phenomenal pickleball court set up and these improvements will enhance our playing experience and bring value to the community.

Thank you from the Pickleball Leadership Group!!