At the end of July, Second Serve hosted its second annual Serve Escondido tennis camp in San Diego. Over 40 kids showed up and 13 Second Serve volunteers traveled from across the state to teach underserved youth the beauty of tennis. The event was made possible by the generous contributions of multiple sponsors: Mercedes Benz of Escondido, Steigerwald-Dougherty, Koman Group, The Butchery, Kolker Real Estate, and the Kindness Wins Foundation. Thanks to these sponsors, Second Serve was able to give each player a brand-new Wilson bag and keychain. 

 

“I am so grateful that the whole community was able to come together on this day to support the vision of creating greater access and inclusion within the sport of tennis,” said Amani Shah, National President of Second Serve. “We can't thank our sponsors enough for investing in the development of youth in our community.” 

 

Second Serve founders Amani and Ayanna Shah have worked hard this past year to involve more of Escondido’s youth in tennis. 

 

“Tennis has a high barrier to entry, and it’s our goal to break down that barrier and create greater access, inclusion, and diversity within the tennis community,” said Ayanna Shah, CEO of Second Serve, 

 

July’s one-day event is part of the Serve Escondido tennis program, an after-school activity that Second Serve runs in partnership with the city of Escondido. Amani and Ayanna founded the program to give kids a safe place to grow, learn, and of course, play tennis.

 

The weekend event and the entire Serve Escondido program both exemplify the work that Second Serve does globally to not just teach kids tennis, but also create community and give hope.