KC man travels to Ukraine to teach war victims how to play pickleball

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (KCTV) - A Kansas City pickleball instructor is heading to Ukraine to teach war victims how to play the sport.

What started as a hobby turned into a worldwide mission to bring fun and relief to people across the globe.

Aaron Trost started the nonprofit Pickleball Planter in 2021. Trost has taught pickleball in many countries including Laos, Vietnam, Hungary, Honduras and Ukraine.

This isn’t Trost’s first time going to the war-torn country to help spread joy. In 2023, Trost went for the first time.

Trost will teach the sport in a variety of settings, whether it’s working with youth, working with veterans or working with people who are disabled.

Trost reflected on his previous trip to Ukraine amid safety concerns for his trip to Kyiv.

“A couple times, there would be you know, like bomb sirens or plane sirens, stuff like that, people would take shelter, other than that it felt pretty normal,” said Trost.

Trost experienced joy and purpose through pickleball, and he wants others to experience the physical and mental health benefits of the sport.

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He plans to be in the country for three weeks. For those interested in getting involved with the nonprofit, they can go to their website.

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