Students and families filled the courts at Austin Pickle Ranch with a competitive atmosphere. On a sunny spring day, spectators were able to watch as players waved pickleball paddles in support of a noble cause.
Student Caroline Margin co-founded the Chris Margin Foundation, the foundation’s namesake, in August 2023 after her father was killed in a street assault in 2021. The foundation, which raises money for research and technology to investigate cold cases, hosted a pickleball tournament Friday in honor of the murders.
“As someone who is still in college, this topic is not something that people are familiar with… so I thought, ‘What are the activities that everyone really likes at the moment?'” Plan II said corporate executive Caroline Margin. She is a communication junior. She said, “Pickleball is all the rage right now and people of all ages know how to play it.”
Christine Murzin, Caroline Murzin’s mother and co-founder of the foundation, began her own investigation into her husband’s case. No suspects were found, and they appealed to Christina and Caroline to find justice and raise awareness. Caroline said her father Chris is a big advocate for the local community and she knew she wanted something good to come out of this situation.
“We felt it was better to take action than just sit around,” said Christina, president and CEO of the Murzin Foundation. She said: “We decided to set up the foundation so that other cases and families would know that everything possible was done to bring justice to their loved one’s case. ”
Caroline said the IRS estimated it would take 12 to 18 months for the foundation to receive nonprofit status, but it was approved in just one month. The Murzins immediately began planning fundraising events. However, not just anyone can volunteer for this purpose as there are security clearances and necessary qualifications. So the Murzin women brainstormed an activity to get students involved while raising funds.
After Caroline Margin settled on a pickleball tournament, she contacted Austin Pickle Ranch, a rooftop pickleball facility that first opened in the fall. Tim Critch, one of the founders of Austin Pickle Ranch, had a similar story. His family was murdered and the suspect remains unknown.
“A lot of people are victims of murder, but they don’t necessarily realize it until they’re in the situation,” says Caroline. “It was really interesting to connect with[Critch].”
Canned espresso martini company Can-Tini paid for the venue and served as the event’s main sponsor. Barry’s, Tito’s and other companies donated prizes to the winning teams. With several years of experience under their belt, biomedical engineering junior Taylor Hoffman and his teammate Brandon Bowlby won the entire tournament.
“I love playing pickleball. I play as much as I can and I think it’s really fun to do tournaments,” Hoffman said. “The support for the Chris Margin Foundation was great, and the cost of participation was very affordable for college students.”
Spectator tickets were $15 per doubles team and player tickets were $50. The foundation he raised $1,985. Christina said the funds raised will be used to give law enforcement agencies access to AI technology and data used to solve cases.
“I’m very hopeful that we can do something good and help the family,” Christina Murzin said. “These are difficult cases and we hope we can solve some, but it feels a little bit more final to know that everything possible was done to solve the cases.”
