Levene Gouldin & Thompson, or LG&T, hosted a charity Pickleball Tournament at Binghamton University Lane-Starke Tennis Center today. The event raised money for the Tunnel to Towers Foundation, which provides mortgage-free homes and housing assistance to veterans.

"We wanted to find a way to give back and let them know how much we care because we know that they care about us, and we want them to know that we care about them," said LG&T attorney Kevin Williams.

Directed by renowned pickleball coach Zorano Tubo, the event drew over 115 participants from across the region, far exceeding organizers' expectations. They attributed the success to both the community's love for pickleball and their commitment to supporting veterans and first-responders.

"After COVID, people needed something to bring them together because we were forced to be apart. They needed something. Pickleball was a gift from God because it came at just the right time. After and during COVID, it started to help people come together. The emotional bonding, the friendships, the ties, the social emphasis and power that pickleball brings is something like we've never seen before," said Tubo.

Williams echoed the importance of honoring those who serve, saying, "If there's one thing that we can all agree upon, it's how much we owe it to our veterans and our first responders. Those people, when other people are running out of the building that's on fire, those are the people they run in. They serve and protect us."

LG&T plans to make the event an annual tradition, with plans to expand it next year.

"I envision this becoming in within two or three years the premier charity pickleball tournament in upstate New York in the fall next year," Williams said. "We're probably going to do a two day tournament, And I would just let anyone know that if you weren't able to get in this year, you will next year."