"It All Began on the Court"
A story is never just a single story. Like every human, every story shines differently in the light you hold it up to.

Chris Moore shared those words from inside San Quentin, where his journey with Humans of San Quentin began, not in a classroom or a cell, but on a pickleball court.

It was a regular day on the yard until something extraordinary happened: Diane, the co-founder of Humans of San Quentin, stepped into a pickleball rally alongside incarcerated players. As Chris watched her swing a wooden paddle with ease and joy, something shifted. “Even from 100 feet away,” he wrote, “I could feel the frozen belief of us versus them melting away in the warmth of realization.”

That one moment of connection cracked open something deeper. After the match, Diane offered him her paddle. Alex Ross, her incarcerated colleague, said simply, “Come on, I’ll be your partner.”

Chris didn’t know it yet, but he was about to become a voice for many, sharing not only his truth but the humanity so often hidden behind prison walls. What began as a half-scribbled story in foster care turned into a published piece in The Sun magazine and a storytelling workshop with The Moth. His story traveled from San Quentin to Chapel Hill to New York City, and tonight, it arrives here, with you.

This fundraiser is more than a day of giving. It’s about making sure stories like Chris’s don’t end at the prison gates. It’s about ensuring they reach the world.

Because a paddle passed in kindness, a sentence scribbled with hope, and a story courageously told, can change everything. We thank you for supporting us.

Pickleball for a Purpose: A Fundraiser for Humans of San Quentin

By Humans of San Quentin

Pickleball for a Purpose: A Fundraiser for Humans of San Quentin

Humans of San Quentin For The Win