Appropriates $197,760 for 2026-27 from the General Fund to the UNC Board of Governors (BOG) to be allocated to the Department of Parks, Recreation, and Tourism Management in the College of Natural Resources at NC State University to create and evaluate a community-based wellness initiative in eastern Wake, Halifax, and Lenoir counties that uses pickle ball to engage participants and encourage physical activity and social interaction at public recreational facilities in communities with limited access to recreational resources. Specifies that these funds do not revert.

Sets out responsibilities and qualifications for the program Leader and faculty members, who must collaborate with the North Carolina Cooperative Extension County Agents in Halifax and Lenoir counties. Requires the initiative to be implemented and evaluated using a delayed treatment design that includes community input, program development, marketing and outreach, three months of weekly pickleball instruction and play, an evaluation, and toolkit development, as discussed in the act.

Effective July 1, 2026.