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Serving up holiday joy: Iowa woman turning broken pickleballs into ornaments

By Olivia Tyler

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    ANKENY, Iowa (KCCI) — Sherry Kubalsky is turning a hobby into a holiday gift.

While most people want shiny new things, this pickleball player is re-inventing the old.

“It just came to mind one day when I was looking at a cracked pickleball, and I said, ‘What do you do with these?'” Kubalsky said. “Well, they throw them away. And that’s where the idea became to recycle them and make Christmas ornaments.”

Kubalsky gathers the cracked pickleballs from where she plays with her husband. She takes them home and uses glitter, glue, beads, bows and other craft supplies to give new life to the cracked balls.

Through all the glitz and glam, the real reason for Christmas is not lost on Kubalsky.

“We decided with cooperation from the Fieldhouse, it was a great idea to do a food bank drive,” she said.

She’s taking food and cash donations at the Fieldhouse at the Prairie Trails Sports Complex in Ankeny until Jan. 1. They will then give the donations to the Lutheran Church of Hope’s cupboard.

“These ornaments were made with love and fellowship and just in real, deep caring for other people,” Kubalsky said. “It’s not about the ornaments. It’s about serving others.”

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Article Topic Follows: CNN - Regional

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