AUSTIN, TEXAS — The Salvation Army and Eatside Paddle Club will host a pickleball tournament fundraiser May 15 from 6:30 to 9 p.m. for Mueller neighbors who want an active, low-key way to support women, children and families facing homelessness. Proceeds are slated to benefit the Austin Shelter for Women and Children and the Salvation Army’s Rathgeber Center for Families. The event is planned for Friday evening, making it an easy add-on to the neighborhood’s after-work and after-practice routine.
The tournament is scheduled at Eastside Paddle Club, 979 Springdale Road, Austin, TX 78702, a short drive from Mueller via Airport Boulevard and East Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard. According to Pickleball Club Magazine, the indoor facility spans about 22,000 square feet with six courts plus club-style amenities including lounges, workspaces, locker rooms with showers, a merch shop, a mezzanine viewing area and a full-service bar. “It was honestly quite frightening,” said Turab Khambati, owner, Eastside Paddle Club.
For parking, drivers should plan to use the facility’s on-site lot and nearby legal street parking around Springdale Road, then walk in. For Mueller residents looking to avoid the busiest turns, approaching from Airport Boulevard to Springdale can be simpler than cutting through narrower residential blocks. Tickets are sold through the event page at The Salvation Army Texas. The listing is set up as a fundraiser entry, with purchase and registration handled online.
The schedule is straightforward: check-in and play run within the 6:30 to 9 p.m. window, with tournament matches on the indoor courts and time to socialize between games. Guests can expect refreshments to be available through the venue’s bar service, consistent with Eastside Paddle Club’s normal setup, and the point is as much community as competition. In Austin, pickleball is already part of the everyday recreation mix, with courts available seven days a week across the city and typical 60-minute limits when others are waiting, according to City of Austin Parks and Recreation.
The night also connects to a bigger need in Austin. The Salvation Army’s local fundraising has been tied to expanding shelter and services, including a new women and children’s shelter and renovated facilities, according to Austin Family Magazine. At the city level, Austin is balancing both immediate shelter capacity and longer-term housing, and estimates point to thousands of people unsheltered alongside a substantial bed gap, according to FOX 7 Austin. “There is a quiet crisis of family homelessness in Austin,” said Henry Gonzalez, area commander, The Salvation Army Austin. “We’ve seen an increase in numbers really this past year as prices go up,” said Major Jeff Strickler, Salvation Army Austin.
For families wondering what the fundraiser supports in practical terms, the Rathgeber Center is set up as more than a place to sleep. It has about 212 beds and provides case management, rapid rehousing support, employment help, childcare, laundry, kitchens, computer learning space and outdoor play areas, according to RallyVite Hot Spot. The City of Austin also tracks homelessness-service outcomes through contract metrics such as unduplicated people served and exits to permanent housing, and it funds supports ranging from housing navigation to transportation and legal help, according to City of Austin. For Mueller households that plan weekends around easy, repeatable outings, this fits the same neighborly rhythm Mueller Today has highlighted in recent family guidance stories about routines and movement as a reset, with a direct payoff for local women and kids who need stability now. “The fact of the matter is we don’t have the luxury of choosing if we want to go all in on more shelter or all in on more housing. We need both,” said David Gray, Homeless Strategy Office, City of Austin.
