Our Projects
Step 1
Rackets
We design collection boxes and place them strategically throughout the city to collect gently used tennis rackets. The rackets are refurbished with new overgrips and strings (if needed). We collect kids, junior, and adult rackets as we have a wide range of ages that attend our clinics. In the past, we've worked with First Serve Tennis, Shavano Park Tennis Club, San Antonio Academy, the Jewish Community Center, San Antonio Tennis Academy, Ivic Oliver Tennis Academy to collect rackets. We've also leveraged the power of the internet on Facebook and NextDoor to generate local buzz. Finally, "word of mouth" has continued to be a powerful lead generator for rackets.
Step 2
Tennis Shoes
We collect gently used tennis shoes (specifically for the sport of tennis). The shoes are sanitized and new shoe strings are installed (if needed). The vast majority of American kids have tennis shoes, so we don't provided many shoe donations in San Antonio. The vast majority of our collected shoes will find their way to tennis facilities in South America where many kids do not have appropriate shoes to play tennis. Our donations have the power to keep kids off the streets and out of gangs in some areas of the world.
Step 3
Clinics
With the help of generous volunteers, we run an annual 1/2 day tennis clinic that encourages kids to play tennis. We teach the basic rules of the sport, including how to keep score. The clinics are fun-filled and get the kids moving. They learn how to hit a serve, forehands, backhands, and volleys. They have an opportunity to play both singles and doubles tennis. They leave inspired to join their school's team or to simply play with their friends at the local park. Medical research shows that no sport adds more years to one's life than tennis.
