On a sunny Saturday morning, Oct. 10, the Manhasset Girls’ Varsity Tennis Team hosted a clinic for elementary school children to raise money for Crohn’s and Colitis disease. Crohn’s disease is a chronic inflammatory condition of the gastrointestinal tract. Ulcerative colitis is a chronic disease of the large intestine. Crohn’s disease may affect as many as 700,000 Americans.
The team began the first session at 9 a.m., children came for the morning session. The volunteers warmed them up with some running games, and then they split the children up into three different courts based on age and skill level. The first court focused on forehands: teaching the children the proper grip, swing, and contact with some demonstrations and feeding activities. The second court did the same with backhands and the last court was used for rallying practice.
After about half an hour, the groups switched courts. Towards the end of the first session, all the children were brought together to play a “bump-up” competition, during which they bounced the ball on their rackets for as long as they could until one person remained. They then played a game of “alleycat,” during which they stood in the doubles alley and had to avoid the balls tossed by the volunteers.
During the second session, the volunteers repeated the same routine with the children. Each child that came, the total being twelve, received some candy and a goodie bag.
The clinic raised an astonishing $1,000 dollars through the clinic from the cost of admission per child and other very generous monetary donations.
The clinics were a wonderful success, and the girls’ varsity tennis team was incredibly proud to volunteer and be part of this fundraising event and raise the community’s consciousness on Crohn and Colitis.
