PUMP kickball tournament to support Pittsburgh nonprofit One Day to Remember

PUMP’s annual Kickball for a Cause will return to Mellon Park on Saturday, Aug. 8, with its 2026 identity built around One Day to Remember, the Pittsburgh nonprofit founded by oncology nurse Josiah Gilliam in 2016. The organization gives families facing advanced-stage cancer a curated memory day at no cost, and PUMP says it has already served more than 700 families since it began.

That beneficiary has become the centerpiece of the tournament’s pitch. Instead of treating the day as just another summer recreation stop, PUMP has framed the event around a specific local mission: helping families create lasting memories at home or at a nearby attraction, with options that can include a professional photographer and a commemorative photobook. That connection gives the fundraiser a sharper edge and a clearer urgency for teams, donors, and volunteers.

The tournament itself remains one of PUMP’s signature social sports events. Teams will play round-robin lightning games throughout the day, with food, drinks, and music part of the setup, and the top teams will advance into playoff rounds designed to keep a crowd around for the finish. Anyone 21 or older can take part.

The charity selection process has also been part of the event’s appeal. For 2026, PUMP ran an open nomination period, followed by internal vetting and an open voting window before narrowing the field to finalists and choosing One Day to Remember. The organization’s timeline listed applications from April 20 to May 22, vetting from May 26 to June 9, and open voting from June 11 to June 21.

The event carries a long track record in Pittsburgh. PUMP says Kickball for a Cause has been held since 2003 and has raised tens of thousands of dollars for local nonprofits and charities. Its signature-events page says that since 2002 the tournament has brought in more than $110,000 and involved close to 9,000 community members. Last year’s edition drew 32 teams, 576 participants, and more than 50 volunteers, and raised about $10,000 for Women and Girls Foundation and HEARTH.

The tournament’s history helps explain why the beneficiary matters so much. For its first 13 years, the event was known as Kickball for Hope, with Girls Hope as the annual beneficiary. That model still shapes the event today: each year’s cause changes the tournament’s focus, the fundraising push, and the way the Greater Pittsburgh Region rallies around it.