Words by Karen Edwards. Photography by Kevin Gunawan.

Since 1947, Serve and Return Chicago (SRC), has been supporting disadvantaged communities to play tennis through the provision of fund-raising grants. At its inception, the organization – a charitable arm of the Chicago District Tennis Association – was known as Chicago Tennis Patrons. In 2018, Maggie Kelly joined the organization as Executive Director, with a view to modernize the initiative. The first step was changing its name to reflect a more inclusive and welcoming organization. Six years on, SRC funds nine programmes across Chicago. Here, Kelly tells the story of how this small non-profit makes the wildest of dreams come true.

Last year, Serve and Return Chicago (SRC) supported 3,000 young people to play tennis in a safe and positive environment for free. The children were aged between six and 18-years-old. SRC partners with 12 programs across Chicago that, through tennis, provide young people with broader life perspectives and a diverse network of friends. Each program has developed over time to meet the needs of its constituents. Each community is unique, and each program reflects this.

Sadly, the communities we work with face a variety of challenges. This includes economic deprivation, limited accessibility to sport and a lack of safety. In addition to tennis, some of our programs are multifaceted and offer after-school tutoring, meals and access to social workers for mental health assistance. 

Tennis is at the heart of what we do, because it builds a community and supports a healthy, active lifestyle. It gets children outside, and moving. Beyond the physical benefits, tennis teaches children about sportsmanship; how to build self-confidence through responsibility and self-reliance. They learn life skills such as self-discipline, how to manage emotions, deal with conflict and problem solve – and they understand the importance of respect and compassion for their opponent. These are all skills that can be used beyond the court. ​​

On the northside of Chicago, Buddy Up Tennis, caters for children living with Down’s Syndrome. The initiative invites the football team at North-Western University as volunteers to become ‘buddies’ with the kids on the tennis court. The experience is transformative for everyone. The children get to play tennis with their heroes, while the able-bodied athletes learn empathy, compassion and that athletes can be found everywhere, at any level. 

In the southside Riverdale and Dolton neighbourhoods, children can’t walk home from school safely. The Ace Project has been operating in the area for 10 years and engages parents and teachers as volunteers to provide after-school tennis coaching. It was such a success that they expanded it to two schools, and then into a weekend program. It’s bought the community together and provides a safe setting for the kids to thrive.

SRC offers two grant cycles per year, in the spring and fall. Program founders can fill in our simple grant application form online. One click, and the application is sent through to the SRC Board of Directors and Program Committee, who make the final decision on funding. We also accept requests for emergency funding.

The Bill Wham Memorial Scholarship is aimed at high achieving tennis players who have a chance of attending college. The prize is named after a local tennis coach, whose family set up the fund to provide two annual scholarships worth $10,000. Often, college is not a realistic opportunity for parents in this community – and if accepted, it’s likely that this is the first time anyone in the family goes to college. These grants not only benefit players, they can change whole families.

Our current board president, Sandeep Sood, attended a free tennis program and it changed his life. It helped him to get a college scholarship and as a result, from personal experience, he is closely connected to our mission. Now, as a successful local real-estate business owner, he understands how much these programs can positively affect a person’s life chances. Our entire Board of Directors is representative of the Chicago Lands area. They are diverse in every way – gender, colour, religion, age and background geography. Our board reflects who we are as an organisation and the communities we serve.

In 2022, SRC provided over 100,000 player hours on courts. Our goal is to grow even bigger, and On’s Right To Run programme support will help us get there.  We’re share values with On  – and this partnership will help us put more funding into existing programs, and initiate new ones. Now we’re looking ahead, to help thousands of kids again this year.

Find out more about how Right To Run and Serve and Return Chicago are working together, and how you can get involved here.