Camren’s Causes donates $9K for Nokomis pickleball courts

NOKOMIS — We’re in mid-November, but the Christmas-giving spirit doesn’t necessarily have to stop charitable works to improve the Nokomis community from happening.

Christmas is coming early for the Nokomis Memorial Park District, courtesy of a $9,000 donation from Camren’s Causes, a charitable organization founded in memory of the late Camren Neisler. The donation was made by Camren’s mother Brandy Chausse to park board members Dennis O’Malley and board president Brad Janssen on November 12.

The funds have been used for the renovation of the old tennis court, which is being repurposed into pickleball courts. Asphalt was poured on the site Friday with resurfacing work taking place this week. The remainder of the work will be done in the spring of 2025.

Chausse noted that Neisler loved playing pickleball at school, and she hopes that the community will enjoy the new courts.

The tennis court had fallen into serious disrepair over the years, and there hadn’t been nets set up on the court in many years. The court has only been used in recent years as a venue for people to play BINGO during the Nokomis Homecoming celebration.

The project is a small part of a long-term project to improve the Nokomis community through a new organization — Newkomis — which will be formed as a merger of the Nokomis Chamber of Commerce, the Downtown Nokomis Association, and the City of Nokomis’ Planning Commission.

Newkomis is undergoing a series of planning sessions with Western Illinois University’s Illinois Institute for Rural Affairs, with the fourth session being tonight, November 18, in the Nokomis High School cafeteria. Attendees are asked to enter through the doors on the northeastern corner of the high school. Dinner will be served by the high school’s culinary class beginning at 5:30 p.m. with the session beginning at 6 p.m.

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