The Second Annual Pickleball Tournament will be held at Rama Swim Club and will benefit the MiiKE program at Rama Road Elementary.

All benefits from this tournament will go to the MiiKE program, allowing them to expand their services to girls, have more frequent group outings with mentors and mentees, and to hold school events bringing mentees and their families together.

The tournament will be doubles play (2v2) with an opportunity to play at least two games per team.

Registration will be $100 per team (2 players = a team). This will include entry into the tournament, (2)raffle tickets, and dinner per player.

Love pickleball but need a teammate? Contact – Thomas Baglivo

Not into pickleball? Donations are a great way to support MiiKE too!

For event sponsorship opportunities Contact – Chad Mangum

About MiiKE?

We are Rama community men dedicated to building up students (both girls and boys) through the power of education, strong relationships, and a stable and secure learning environment.

The MiiKE program was developed by Ms. Elizabeth Ponzi, school counselor at Rama Road Elementary School and commenced in the 2022-2023 school year. The MiiKE program has two facets: schoolwide programming and support, and the mentorship program. Our schoolwide programming and support exist to bring a positive

male presence into our school through support of preexisting events such as Science & Math Night or Open House, or through MiiKE-specific events such as MiiKE @ the Movies and MiiKE Night.

The mentorship program is truly the heart of MiiKE in which we pair district-screened, dedicated men with our qualifying boys (attending Rama Road). Mentors are involved family members of our current students or just volunteers from the local community. MiiKE mentors have clear expectations to be consistent in meeting with their students on designated days and to be a positive model for their educational,

social, and behavioral habits. Mentors are required to meet with their students on at least an every-other-week basis at lunch or breakfast for the duration of the school year. Some may also opt to spend additional time with them via recess, tutoring, or classroom support. Boys (and now girls, too!) at Rama Road may be eligible for this program for a multitude of reasons, such as: teacher or parent nomination, lack of a male figure at home, or academic, socioemotional, or behavioral need. Students must have good attendance and punctuality in order to honor the time of our mentors. Parent or guardian verbal consent must be given and is documented by the director, though it may be rescinded at any time by reaching out to the school. The Miike program relies 100 percent on volunteers and community donations to make the program viable. Currently, MiiKE has 16 mentors and have served 54 students in the program this year. However, we can see the number of students growing to 100, with additional mentorship opportunities opened up to girls in the school in similar qualifying situations.

The limiting factor on the long-term success of MiiKE may very well be manpower (literally), however it is also clear that we need to grow our budget to allow for more

programming to allow for yearlong engagement both in and out of school.

An increased budget would allow for:

• Funding for regular outings for mentors and mentees (such as the Charlotte FC outing offered to boys in the mentorship program this year)

• Hosting of additional events, such as an end-of-year ceremony for mentees

• Purchasing of birthday packages for our mentee kids.