(Capitol) Last weekend, on Sunday, October 13th, Katy Perry & Friends hosted the 2nd Annual Light Up the Court Pickleball Tournament at the Montecito Club in Katy's hometown of Santa Barbara, CA. All proceeds from the event will benefit Firework Foundation, founded in 2018 by Katy and her sister, Angela Lerche, to empower children from underserved communities by igniting their inner light through the arts.
The tournament kicked off with a round robin of players that included Ellen DeGeneres, Orlando Bloom, Charlie Puth, Lauren Sanchez, Rob Lowe and John Owen Lowe, Benji Madden, James Valentine and local pickleball enthusiasts. The 2024 Light Up the Court Champions were Mike Roberts and Eui Oh, who also went on to de-throne last year's champions in a special "All Time Best" of Santa Barbara match.
Capping off the event, which was produced again by Ngoc Nguyen (Nguyen Strategies), Katy and Angela (nee the Hudson Sisters) teamed up with top pickleball professionals, the Brascia Sisters, for an epic mic'd exhibition match among siblings with Katy and Mary Brascia narrowly beating Angela and Maggie Brascia 11-9.
Camp counselors from Firework Foundation's Camp Firework were on hand to distribute custom visors and shirts, and share information about the organization's marquee initiative, a 3-day sleep-away experience in nature where up to 100 kids are provided a space to discover their spark through artistic programming and bring that sparkle home to their communities. The foundation has also partnered with organizations such as Boys and Girls Clubs of America, LAAMP (founded by Stargate, Katy's collaborators on "Firework"), Young Producers Group and FIDM on music and mentorship programs and, for camp alumni, leaders-in-training programs. Katy and Angela were interviewed in this Firework Foundation segment from the Lifetime special about Variety's 2022 "Power of Women: The Changemakers."
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