For the Simon family, pickleball is more than a sport. It is a way to bring communities together, support medical research, and transform a painful experience into meaningful action.

Sisters Valerie and Victoria Simon are professional pickleball players who compete in PPA Tour and PPA Challenger Series events. Alongside their sister Vanessa, they co-founded Serve for Strength, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that uses sports to raise awareness and funds for individuals and families facing health challenges.

Their mother, Daniella Simon, serves as the organization’s CEO, overseeing its events, partnerships, fundraising efforts, and continued growth. Although each family member has a different role, they share one mission: turning adversity into advocacy.

Finding a New Path Through Pickleball

Valerie’s story began when she was a nationally ranked junior tennis player with dreams of competing professionally. Her life changed after she tripped on a tennis ball and her injury was initially misdiagnosed. She eventually underwent two major foot and ankle surgeries and now has four titanium rods in her ankles.

Valerie spent nearly two years recovering while facing limited mobility and uncertainty about whether she would ever compete, or even return to her previous level of activity, again.

During her recovery, she discovered pickleball. The sport became an important part of her physical and emotional rehabilitation, helping her regain confidence, become active again, and rediscover her love of competition.

Valerie later introduced Victoria to pickleball, and the sisters began training and competing together. Today, they participate in singles, women’s doubles, and mixed doubles events across the country.

Valerie currently holds a DUPR rating of 5.36, while Victoria holds a rating of 5.082. They built their ratings through consistent training, competitive match play, and participation in high-level tournaments.

Although their tennis backgrounds gave them strong athletic foundations, pickleball required them to develop new skills. They worked on their patience, soft game, resets, transitions, positioning, and decision-making.

The sisters also learned that improvement does not come only from winning. Some of their most valuable growth has followed difficult matches and losses that forced them to adjust and identify areas for improvement.

For Valerie, every match represents how far she has come from the days when she did not know whether she would ever compete again.

The Mission Behind Serve for Strength

Serve for Strength grew directly from Valerie’s recovery journey. The Simon family wanted to turn one of the most difficult chapters of their lives into an opportunity to help others.

The organization hosts pickleball tournaments, clinics, exhibitions, open-play sessions, and community fundraisers. These Serve for Strength events bring professional athletes, recreational players, families, sponsors, and volunteers together while raising funds for medical research and patient support.

A major focus of the organization’s work has been supporting foot and ankle research, including fundraising efforts benefiting the Foot and Ankle Service at Hospital for Special Surgery.

Vanessa has also helped expand the organization beyond pickleball by launching its golf division. She organized its first golf clinic and has helped plan its inaugural golf tournament.

Serve for Strength’s message is simple: a setback does not have to define the rest of someone’s life.

What Comes Next?

Valerie and Victoria are continuing to grow their presence in professional pickleball. A few months ago, the sisters signed with the PPA, marking another important step in their competitive careers.

Next, Serve for Strength is partnering with the PPA Challenger for the Serve for Strength/PPA Challenger Charity Moneyball on August 27, 2026. The event will bring competitive pickleball and fundraising together in support of Serve for Strength’s mission.

Players interested in participating can learn more and register through the official Serve for Strength/PPA Challenger Charity Moneyball tournament page.

Beyond the upcoming event, Valerie and Victoria plan to continue developing their games and competing in PPA Tour and PPA Challenger events.

The Simon family also hopes to expand Serve for Strength, strengthen its partnerships, and increase its support for medical research. The organization plans to create more opportunities for children, families, individuals recovering from injuries, and people facing health challenges to experience the physical and emotional benefits of sports.

Their journey began with one athlete trying to rebuild her life after losing the sport she loved. Today, it has become a growing community proving that strength is not about avoiding adversity; it is about choosing what to do with it.

“Serve for Strength began with our family’s personal experience, but its mission is much bigger than us,” the Simon family shared. “We want every event, every match, and every donation to remind someone facing a difficult chapter that they are not alone, and that something powerful can still grow from adversity.”

Support Serve for Strength

Learn more about the Simon family’s mission, explore upcoming events, or contribute to its medical research fundraising efforts by visiting the Serve for Strength website.

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