GADS HILL CENTER HELPS TEACH KIDS HOW TO PLAY TENNIS
New QuickStart Program Presented at nearby Harrison Park
On Thursday October 16th at Harrison Park, Gads Hill Center teamed up with Chicago’s Midtown Tennis Club and the United States Tennis Association to give neighborhood children the opportunity to try a new tennis program called QuickStart. For the mostly Latino children who showed up, it was the first time that anyone had ever taught them how to play tennis.
Gads Hill Center has been serving the out-of-school educational needs of neighborhood children and families since 1898. QuickStart Tennis supports Gads Hill’s skill-based curriculum that helps children develop teamwork and other life skills.
QuickStart is a program aimed at children ages 10 and under that introduces kids to tennis in a new way. Instead of trying to teach kids how to play using standard sized nets and rackets, QuickStart uses equipment that is more appropriate for smaller children. Children from Gads Hill lined up for a chance to learn.
“Every kid plays soccer,” said Lizette Torres, Director of Youth Services at Gads Hill, “so why not give them an alternative? After purchasing a racket, tennis is really an inexpensive sport. You can find a court at almost any park.”
Special guests included Alan G. Schwartz, the TCA Holdings Board Chairman, local alderman Daniel Solis, two time women’s double Olympic gold medalist Mary Joe Fernandez, Lizette Torres, Gads Hill’s Director of Youth Services, Tony Gonzalez, the Supervisor at Harrison Park and Kurt Kamperman, the CEO of the USTA, shown in the above picture from left to right.
At Gads Hill Center, tennis is going to be incorporated into Club Learn’s program. “We feel that tennis will help our children think more positively about team work and pursuing their dreams,” said Barbara Castellán, Chief Executive Officer. She believes that tennis will teach leadership skills, life skills, and sportsmanship: all important values that Gads Hill believes children should have.
For more than 100 years, Gads Hill Center has supported low-income families in Chicago’s southwest side to bring about long-term, positive change.
Families have found a safe haven at Gads Hill through the educational, social and emotional support offered. The incorporation of a tennis element into existing programs will provide yet another way to reinforce positive values and provide social and emotional support for children. With generous support from local governments and private donors, Gads Hill continues to strengthen its services to meet the needs of a greater number of children and families now and well into the future.
For more information about the event or other questions, please contact Noah Kippley-Ogman at 312.226.0963 x241 or email him at nkippleyogman@gadshillcenter.org
