Paddles for a Purpose
West Michigan residents Brad Haverkamp, Julie Ondersma, Sydney Sonday and Caleb Dang will try to break the Guinness World Record for longest (doubles) marathon by breaking the record of 34 hours, five minutes and 55 seconds. The record was recently achieved by a foursome at an event organized by the Central London Alliance in London, UK on Sept. 24, 2024.
All funds raised will be donated to Gift of Life Michigan to support organ, eye and tissue donation in Michigan. This cause is important to the players in part because a fellow pickleball player they know needs a kidney transplant.
Help us beat our fundraising goal of $20,000 – we are 75% of the way there!
Event date: Saturday, November 23, 2024 through Sunday, November 24, 2024
Location: All In Pickleball Gym, 400 76th St SW, Byron Center, MI 49315
Admission: Free, donations welcome!
How can I pledge my support?
Use this link and complete the form to make your financial gift in honor of Paddles for a Purpose today!
Your gift is tax deductible to the extend allowed by law.
Thank you to the event sponsors!
Who are the players?
Brad Haverkamp
Brad Haverkamp, 51, enjoys volunteering and traveling and since retiring three years ago has biked, hiked and explored around the world. Some of his highlights include walking the 491-mile Camino de Santiago, hiking coast-to-coast in England and climbing to the top of Mt Kilimanjaro. He's hoping that a 10-day 1,200 mile bicycle trip around the perimeter of Michigan's Upper Peninsula in July/August, three weeks of backpacking in Olympic National Park and Mt Rainier National Park in August, and a multi-day canoe trip in September prepare him for the pickleball world record attempt in November!
Julie Ondersma
Julie Ondersma, 45, is a wife and mother of three, who works full time as a nurse practitioner and midwife. In her free time, she is an avid cyclist and member of the Michigan World Bicycle Relief team, which raises awareness and donations to provide Buffalo Bikes to women and medical professionals in Africa, including recently completing the 200-mile Coast 2 Coast across the state of Michigan. She also loves pickleball and is thrilled to partner with Gift of Life and put Grand Rapids on the map with a new pickleball Guinness world record!
Sydney Sonday
Sydney Sonday, 22, is a student at Calvin University who is studying computer science and biochemistry. She also is an All-MIAA and All-American member of the Calvin swimming and diving team and will finish her collegiate career in 2024-25 as a 2025 graduate of the university. She’s an avid pickleball enthusiast, playing pro part time and coaching players in the sport. She hopes to one day continue her pro career, but in the meantime she is ecstatic to play pickleball for fun and, more importantly, for a great cause.
Caleb Dang
Caleb Dang, 23, is an engineer turned pickleball fanatic. Since leaving his day job as a product designer in February of this year, you can find him playing in, organizing and producing livestream coverage for pickleball tournaments around the country. Other interests include cooking, playing volleyball and writing songs. While he’s already known to spend most of his spare time on the court, this world record attempt will take his obsession to a whole new level!