Since 2018, Gift of Life volunteers have turned their passion for pickleball into a powerful force for good—hosting tournaments that fuel the search for lifesaving donor matches for patients battling serious illnesses. In recent months, tournaments in both Dallas and South Florida brought awareness to Gift of Life’s mission and brought people together in support of curing blood cancer. The Texas tournament included an emotional donor-recipient introduction, and the two events combined raised more than $177,000, which will be used to process swab kits and add new donors to the registry.
The second annual “Pickle for a Purpose” benefit tournament held on October 17, 2025, was organized by Harlan Davis, Executive Vice President at CBRE, a long-time corporate supporter of Gift of Life, and sponsored by both CBRE and Flooret, a luxury flooring firm.
“After losing my mom to leukemia in 2016 and then having a sister diagnosed with leukemia in October 2023, I knew this was the cause I was seeking,” said Harlan. “I wanted to help raise awareness of the process people go through once being diagnosed.”
Harlan first learned about Gift of Life through his New York colleague, Steven B. Siegel, who not only serves as the Chairman of Global Brokerage at CBRE but is also the Chairman of the Board for Gift of Life. Steve’s wife, Wendy Siegel, was diagnosed with leukemia in 2012. A Gift of Life stem cell donor saved her life through a transplant, and the couple have has remained staunch supporters since that time.
The event was a huge success, with dozens of participants showing up to compete in the tournament, watch their friends and family play and support the cause.
The high point of the event was when Harlan introduced two-time Gift of Life donor Richard Peat, 25, to the courageous transplant recipient whose life he saved, 28-year-old Michael Eppolito.
Michael, a resident of Litchfield, Ohio, was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia, and the only potential cure for him was a stem cell transplant. With no match in his family, his doctors turned to the registry to search for an unrelated donor, and quickly found his best match, Richard, who was already registered with Gift of Life.
“I joined while waiting in line for our Sunday community dinner at the St. Isidore’s Catholic Student Center at Kansas State University,” said Richard, who is now a manufacturing engineer in Wichita, Kan. “I found out I was a match during my training as a canoe guide for the Minnesota Boy Scout High Adventure Base. I was about to go on a week-long canoeing trip the next day, so I told them to just schedule the appointments, and I’d check in when I got back.”
Richard donated twice to help Michael recover from leukemia, first a marrow transplant in 2021, and then he completed a stem cell collection in 2022 at Gift of Life’s Adelson Collection Center in Boca Raton, Fla.
Michael’s treatment was difficult and complex, but with the support of his parents and fiancée Morgan, he is now doing incredibly well and was excited to meet Richard in person.
“All I knew before this is that he was younger than me,” said Michael. “I thought a young guy willing to donate marrow must be a very caring person. Even if someone doesn’t feel they would ever be a match, they should register anyway and share with as many others as possible.”
Thank you to Harlan Davis, CBRE, and Flooret for making Pickle for a Purpose such an incredible success.
On August 3, 2025, more than 100 pickleball players met the challenge of raising funds and awareness for the fight to cure blood cancer and related diseases. The round robin tournament, held at the Diadem Indoor Pickleball Complex in Coconut Creek, Fla., was chaired by Howard Copelan, Daniella Niss and longtime volunteer Gail Oliver.
Players at intermediate and advanced levels registered as teams for play from noon to 3:00 p.m. Valencia Palms Gift of Life and Pickleball clubs hosted the event, which was sponsored by Kirsner Wealth Management, Orchid Electronics, Inc., and the Delray Beach Pickleball Club.
Gift of Life stem cell donor Alexander Gonzalez spoke at the event about serving as a Campus Ambassador for the organization as a college student at Florida Atlantic University, and the excitement he felt when he matched a patient battling leukemia. When Alex met his recipient, David Rogers, he really came to understand the impact of his donation.
“The words ‘you saved a life’ don’t really hit you until you are face-to-face with the person whose life you saved,” he said. “When you donate stem cells you don’t just save one person you save a family, you create lasting memories, and that whole journey starts with a simple cheek swab. Donating stem cells has been the most rewarding thing I have done in my life, and I would do it again if I was lucky enough.”
The experience was so meaningful to Alex, he later joined Gift of Life as a member of the Development Department, helping to raise the funds used to pay for new donor testing.
Thank you to our generous supporters and volunteers, sponsors, and everyone who came out to play pickleball and help advance our mission to save lives.