A Marin teen who has raised more than $90,000 through racquet-sport fundraisers is bringing her next event to San Rafael on Saturday, Aug. 15, partnering with a local philanthropist to benefit women and children in Uganda.
Olivia Shekou, a senior at The Branson School in Ross, will host Paddles for Purpose on Saturday, Aug. 15, at Flyte Racquet Club, 440 Smith Ranch Road. The event runs from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., with proceeds going to the Melissa Prandi Children's Foundation.
Shekou founded Netting Miracles, a platform that helps students turn tennis, pickleball and padel events into fundraisers for causes they choose. What started as a single pickleball tournament for St. Jude Children's Research Hospital has grown into a nationwide effort active across 17 states, according to Patch.
The Aug. 15 event marks the first time Netting Miracles will benefit the Melissa Prandi Children's Foundation, expanding the platform beyond its original St. Jude focus.
Shekou is no stranger to Flyte Racquet Club. She has previously hosted several events at the Smith Ranch Road facility, including a tournament that drew more than 100 participants and raised nearly $16,000 for St. Jude.
"I founded Netting Miracles to transform how young people engage with philanthropy — not as participants, but as initiators," Shekou told Patch. "What matters most is how many students step into leadership when the path to getting started is clear and accessible."
Rather than running every event herself, Shekou built a replicable system. The platform provides fundraising resources, event frameworks, sponsorship guidance and connections with nonprofit organizations. She also serves as a 2026 peer advisor for the St. Jude Leadership Society's national cohort, mentoring student leaders across the country.
Her co-organizer, Melissa Prandi, is president and CEO of Prandi Property Management in San Rafael and a 2023 recipient of the city's Public Service Award. Prandi founded the Melissa Prandi Children's Foundation in 2021 in partnership with Rotarians from Kampala, Uganda, and San Rafael. The nonprofit focuses on education, vocational training and economic independence programs for youth and young women in Kampala's poorest neighborhoods. It has provided nearly 100 full scholarships to Ugandan students and distributed more than 53,000 hygiene kits to girls in Uganda, according to the Pamoja Africa Fund and the foundation's website.
I love to give. It's in my nature. ... I like to lead by example, so the award, I think, is not really about me — it's about teaching people we can all give back in our community," Prandi said in April 2023, when she received the city's Public Service Award.
Flyte Racquet Club offers indoor and outdoor pickleball, tennis and padel courts, according to the San Rafael Chamber of Commerce. Registration details are available at mpchildrenfoundation.org.
