Seventh annual 'Rally for the Kids' tennis event another big hit

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January 27, 2013

Ron Schaub said he never has a difficult time finding volunteers to help with the Richland County Children Services “Rally for the Kids” tennis event at the Lakewood Racquet Club in Lexington.

The Lakewood Racquet Club pro and Lexington High School boys and girls tennis coach said during the event on Jan. 26 that all he has to do is ask.

“The kids look forward to it every year,” Schaub said as the seventh annual “Rally” came to an end at the indoor facility. “My players come from situations where they like to volunteer and get other kids to play the game.

“It’s never a situation where it’s hard to get kids to come help. We always have more than enough,” Schaub said.

There were 76 children signed up for this year’s 90-minute event – open to any child and family currently being served by the child protective service agency.

Each child who participated received an event t-shirt and a tennis racquet to take home with them. The agency also provides pizza to the children when the tennis is complete.

Nikki Harless, interim executive for Richland County Children Services, praised Schaub, Lakewood and the tennis players from Lexington and St. Peter’s high schools who volunteered to help.

“We really can’t thank Ron and his players and Lakewood enough,” Harless said. “They open their facility and donate their time to work with children who otherwise may never be exposed to tennis.”

Schaub started the event by having the children cheer during a tennis demonstration involving his current and former players. After that came simple drills such as bouncing a ball off the floor using a racquet, a directional hitting drill, a test of reflexes and then one-on-one hitting drills.

“We try to give the kids the basics –ball and racquet control and nice, easy swings. We hope by the end the kids see the big picture – that tennis is a great sport they can play the rest of their lives.”

Harless said the event is also a great opportunity for children to just have fun and get recreation indoors during the cold winter months

“Parents appreciate being able to come and watch their children learn about tennis, have fun and run and play indoors,” she said.

The next agency event is “Breakfast with the Easter Bunny” on March 23 and then a host of events during national Child Abuse Prevention Month in April, including the annual Pinwheels for Prevention and the 24-hour Swim/Bike/Run event.

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