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AFMN Community Grant Application with Assurances (GK203)30 <br />b. Explain how you or your organization (staff and leadership) are qualified to serve <br />the community or groups that are part of this grant.This may include, for example, <br />knowledge of or experience with specific cultures or communities; staff training related to <br />greater understanding of a particular group or culture; organizational mission or demonstrated <br />values related to Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Accessibility (DEIA); recruitment of staff <br />and/or leadership who are part of the communities being served.(150-word limit) <br />Note: If you are a city, county, or unit of government serving all residents in your jurisdiction, <br />please include information about how needs/opportunities related to any of the groups above <br />have been or will be specifically considered and integrated into your proposed project. <br />The culture of pickleball play within the West Lakes Pickleball Club is 100% inclusive. By that <br />we mean that anyone that shows up to play, gets to play. Further this group promotes <br />volunteering at the local food shelf, and social gatherings off the court. Among the players that <br />this group engages are gay, straight, black, Asian, players with dementia, veterans and recent <br />immigrants. All are treated equally and engaged in both the social and physical aspects of the <br />game. This group has multiple years of experience managing open play across six to nine <br />indoor courts in ways that both engage new learners, encourage interaction among all players, <br />and allow players to advance as they gain experience with the game. Our Orono Parks <br />Commission will oversee the operation and organization of programs through Community <br />Education to assure all are welcome and invited to engage. <br />3. Grant Project Impact [10 points] <br />Answer the following two questions for each Funding Area for which you are applying. State each <br />Funding Area, then answer the questions for each.(Maximum 100 words per question, per Funding <br />Area) <br />a) How will your work through this grant project advance the goals of Age-Friendly Minnesota? <br />The Orono Parks Commission and the West Lakes Pickleball Club are passionate about <br />expanding the positive impact of drop in pickleball across the older adult communities we serve. <br />Specifically our goal is to engage the community in 50,000+hours per year of individual <br />engagement activity. Further we anticipate from experience that off court activities including <br />local volunteer opportunities, lunches, birthday celebrations, happy hours and medical and grief <br />support will not only continue to be a natural extension of this activity but a growing one. Two, <br />four or six court facilities do not adequately support the drop in culture, and demand for this <br />type of play in our local community. To engage the community in a friendly, drop-in <br />environment, we must have a critical mass of courts thereby assuring the presence of players <br />during peak hours as well as adequate capacity to allow ample access to play. <br />b) What changes or impact do you expect as a result of your project activities? <br />123