Pickleball to Uplift War Victims in Ukraine: A pickleball instructor from Kansas City, Missouri, is traveling to Kyiv, Ukraine, to teach pickleball to war victims. Aaron Trost, the founder of the non-profit Pickleball Planter, will spend three weeks in the country sharing the game with children, veterans, and people with disabilities.
Sharing Pickleball in a War Zone
Aaron Trost started Pickleball Planter in 2021. Since then, he has traveled to many countries to teach the sport. These include Laos, Vietnam, Hungary, Honduras, and Ukraine. His goal is to bring fun, peace, and healing through pickleball.
This is not Aaron Trost’s first trip to Ukraine. He first visited the country in 2023 to teach the game during the war. Despite the dangers, he said the experience was mostly calm.
“A couple times, there would be you know, like bomb sirens or plane sirens, stuff like that, people would take shelter, other than that it felt pretty normal,” said Aaron Trost.
Reaching People Through the Game
Aaron Trost will work in different areas across Ukraine. He will teach pickleball to young people, war veterans, and people with disabilities. He believes the sport can help people feel better both in their bodies and in their minds.
Trost uses pickleball as a way to give people hope. His mission is to help others the same way the sport helped him.
A Mission with Purpose
Aaron Trost turned a simple hobby into a global mission. By teaching pickleball, he brings comfort and health to those in need. His upcoming trip shows how a small game can make a big difference in people’s lives—especially during times of war.
News in Brief: Pickleball to Uplift War Victims in Ukraine
Aaron Trost of Kansas City is returning to Ukraine to teach pickleball to war victims. Through his non-profit Pickleball Planter, he hopes to bring relief and health benefits to veterans, youth, and disabled people. He will stay for three weeks and visit various places across Kyiv.
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