Racquet sports discovery company Volleybird is partnering with nonprofit Love Serving Autism on a long-term initiative aimed at expanding therapeutic racquet sports programming for neurodivergent children and adults.
Effective September 1, the partnership combines direct financial support with a broader fundraising and growth strategy. Volleybird will develop co-branded merchandise that Love Serving Autism can use to generate revenue, support the nonprofit’s fundraising efforts and Match Point Gala, and leverage industry relationships to help extend programming into new markets. Through Volleybird’s relationship with Blue Chip Sports Management, the organizations are also targeting expansion into the Mid-Atlantic.
The agreement comes as Love Serving Autism marks its 10th anniversary. Founded in 2016 by former collegiate and WTA professional and speech-language pathologist Lisa Pugliese-LaCroix, the organization uses tennis and other racquet sports as a platform for developing communication, motor and social skills. It currently operates programs in 15 states and internationally.
For Volleybird, which serves tennis, pickleball, padel and golf consumers through product discovery, subscription boxes and its own merchandise, the partnership represents an extension of its consumer business into community-based initiatives. Rather than structuring the relationship around a one-time donation, the companies are emphasizing recurring fundraising opportunities, industry connections and geographic expansion—an approach designed to create a more sustainable source of support as Love Serving Autism scales its programming.
