Manhasset Boy Makes Tennis Reality

Manhasset High School senior and tennis team member Matt Holweger will receive the Junior Volunteer of the Year award from the U.S. Tennis Association Long Island Region on Tuesday, April 28. Holweger led a group of friends in collecting gently used equipment and then launched a free tennis clinic for children 10 and under this past summer. The group also donated equipment to an under-equipped tennis program in Brooklyn.
Matt Holweger says he heard about the Kings County Tennis League last fall and wanted to help the Bedford Stuyvesant-based group while also learning from that organization’s example and creating a tennis clinic in his own neighborhood. Holweger says the Brooklyn group inspired him to launch his own equipment-collection program and start a clinic to benefit the nonprofit summer program. His online research led him to Kids Serving Kids, a nationwide organization that collects and recycles tennis rackets for under-served youth. He founded the group’s Long Island chapter, enlisted some friends, and began collecting rackets and planning a summer program.
“We have collected over 170 rackets and $1,500 in donations to date,” Holweger says.
The cash was used to purchase additional rackets, USTA 10-and-under nets and other equipment for the Kings County Tennis League.
“We are Manhasset High School and USTA tennis players looking to spread the joy of tennis to children in need on Long Island and the New York tristate area,” said Holweger. “Our goal is to provide local children with the ability to experience and benefit from the skills learned through the game of tennis. By collecting and recycling gently used tennis rackets, we can provide the tools needed on a cost-free basis.”