Racquets Donated to Children in Jamaica

Sixteen tennis racquets were donated to children in Jamaica via tennis coach Maurice Trail, from Advantage Tennis in Long, Island NY. Maurice visited his homeland Jamaica, and set up a freee skills clinic for some of the children there. He transported the racquets with him on the plane, when he travelled.

Thanksgiving is Special for Tennis Racquets For Kids

Thanksgiving is the time to take a moment and appreciate the things we have. It is a time for families to get together and enjoy each others company. It is a time when Tennis Racquets for Kids Inc., can appreciate the selflessness of others and the moments of smiles and hugs from the children we have helped.

We would like to thank all of the people who have helped to make our tennis charity successful. Thank you to the children who have collected racquets as part of Mitzvah projects and church drives. Thank you to the individuals who have taken time out of their busy lives to find old racquets in their homes and donate them, and thank you to the various tennis clubs who have graciously set up our collection boxes. These actions have made us a larger community dedicated to helping others.

We have used these racquets to bring smiles to so many children. Whether the racquet is Prince, Head, Wilson, or Babolat really does not matter to the children. It is a tennis racquet, special in its own way, that will now allow these children to play a game that want to explore. Many of the racquets we receive require some revitalization. The charity has used their own string and grip, as well as their personal time, to restring and grip many of these racquets so they can play like new. The kids are excited to engage in revamping these racquets for others.

Over the last year, we have donated hundreds of racquets to underprivileged children throughout the United States. We have helped start school programs in Rochester, Florida, and Queens. We have worked directly with the Nassau Parks Department and the New York City Department of Parks and Recreation, and conducted clinics for hundreds of children. After one such clinic, two 10 year old girls went to return their racquets, They thanked us for letting them use the racquets for the clinic. When they were told that the racquets were theirs to keep, they immediately screamed for joy and hugged us, telling us Christmas came early. These smiles and hugs are priceless and well worth the hours of collecting racquets, restringing and delivering them.

We have helped individual families as well. This past summer we received a touching request from a mother of twins who was down on her luck. She wanted her kids to participate in a city parks program but could not afford to purchase racquets. She wanted them to experience the game of tennis, and not disappoint them by having them watch outside the courts all summer. We were able to help and we still remain in their prayers.

As we move ahead with our plans for next year, we are looking forward to new relationships and expansion with industry. We truly appreciate all of the individuals of have supported our tennis charity and have really helped make a small difference in the lives of many. You are the backbone of our charity. Thank you for sharing our beliefs and "pay it forward" for the Love of the Game!" We look forward to making more friends. Happy Holidays to all!

Tsonga inspiring kids in South Africa

"As a kid I never had a chance to go to clinics which were conducted by the world's top players," said Tsonga. "It's really great for them although I think many of them do not know the players here. But I would like them to go home and dream about becoming professional tennis players one day. They've got to be able to dream about it because that could be the start of great things for them. It's so important that they are able to dream."

Without a break after the Australian Open, Tsonga was on his way to the South African Open. He is now through to the semifinals and that is not the only good news from the trip thus far.

The tournament director arranges for the top players to teach a clinic to the little kids playing in the area. Escorted by the police, Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, Jeff Coetzee and Wesley Moodie visited Soweto (South Western Townships) on Wednesday to meet these little kids at the Arthur Ashe Tennis Centre in White City, Jabavu. The pro players took an hour of their time to run drills, play games and try to inspire and relay their love of the game to the children of these townships, many of them seeing tennis and holding racquets for the first time. The kids thanked the guys by singing them a song. This really sounds so cute! "It's extra special for me because I am part African. Hopefully by coming here today I can build on the legacy that the Arthur Ashe Tennis Centre has started. It was an important opportunity for me to come here to Soweto. As tennis players we are really well looked after, so the chance to give something back to the community is very important and I am glad that I was able to play some tennis and muck around with the kids and hopefully I can inspire more kids from Africa to play tennis in the future" said Tsonga of his visit.

South African Wesley Moodie was also really touched by the experience and said, "It was great. I was on the court with kids who had never played tennis before and I was pleasantly surprised how good some of them were. It just shows what type of potential can come from Soweto and if they have the right funding and the right guidance stars can be produced from there."

Moodie's doubles partner, Jeff Coetzee, also loved the opportunity, "I think it’s such a great thing! Arthur Ashe was such a great legend and to have something like that at that stadium - and I know they are going to have a Challenger there in a couple of months - and just to get tennis going, especially in Soweto, is going to be phenomenal. Hopefully people will come and support it and get tennis growing again in South Africa and in development areas. I enjoyed it, obviously giving back to development. You know I come from that kind of thing and it’s nice to see. I was lucky to hit with some players that had never touched a ball and I was very impressed. If they keep doing what they are doing there might be some guys and girls coming through hopefully in the near future somewhere."

It is really great the the ATP is not only hosting tournaments in under developed regions where tennis isn't as popular as some other sports, but also encouraging these types of workshops. South Africa already has some great players, but as a region of the world, it is an amazing place to further develop the sport. All you really need is a dream, some nice weather, a couple tennis courts and someone to pass the game on!