Wayne Roswell Builder Award
This person was one of the original builders of pickleball in Ontario. They initiated a program(s) in their region (city) which has resulted in the rapid growth of pickleball. Their enthusiasm and positive energy has encouraged others to become involved in the development of the sport. They were a founder of a pickleball association in the province, which helped increase participation in the sport.
2022 – Winner – Malinda Hebert
Nominators: Daphne Reid, Joni Ouellette, Terry Morais
There is no one more deserving of this award, this year, in all of Ontario than Malinda Hebert. Malinda is a tireless worker on behalf of Pickleball. She lobbies mayors, councilors, and business owners alike with her charm and knowledge, all to develop and grow pickleball in Essex County. This year has marked the culmination of four years of hard work, led by her, when the town of Tecumseh opened 10, state of the art, pickleball courts in her hometown. With her at the helm, her team raised more than $145,000.00, easily reaching the goal the Tecumseh Town Council had set for community funds to build the courts. And even now businesses are on a waiting list to donate money to get their names associated with those pickleball courts.
But her desire to see pickleball grow is not just directed to her town, Malinda is very generous with sharing her knowledge with anyone that comes asking. I know this because I’m one of those people. She has shared with me what I need to do, how to approach my area council, how to go about fundraising, how to get my community excited about the prospects, even suggesting that we might want to also adopt bylaws like theirs. She never considers anyone competition but rather the more the merrier.
Malinda’s creativity, inclusiveness, and leadership has resulted in this small town of 23,300 people having the largest affiliated club in Ontario. The Tecumseh Pickleball Association membership is at 579 and growing. People from all around Essex County want to join in. On the offering are women’s and men’s leagues, mixed leagues, beginner classes, youth programs, tournaments, and mixed abilities days. In August the Tecumseh Pickleball Association is hosting its first tournament on the new courts. There will be 250 participants from Southern Ontario and Michigan. Malinda makes everything look easy but it’s the hard work she puts in that makes it a success. She always deflects her success and gives credit to her team. I agree she has built a great team, but this too reflects her.
Malinda has accomplished all this while still retaining her infectious smile, her humility, and exuberant demeanor. But most importantly she has retained the respect of her colleagues and her membership.
Congratulations Malinda