Nonprofit organization Second Serve donates tennis equipment all over the world

Imagine what it must be like to love tennis, to savor the chance to hit the ball and compete, to enjoy the sport’s mix of skills and friendship–and yet, be unable to afford the game’s most essential possession, a tennis racquet.

Now imagine an organization that has come along to provide thousands of people with that piece of equipment for free. Meet Second Serve. Since Second Serve got underway just over five years ago, its founders estimate they have been able to provide people across the world with more than 20,000 racquets. In addition to racquets, Second Serve has given away 10,000 other pieces of what it calls “gently used” tennis equipment, including shoes, clothing, bags, and balls. This year, on Sept. 15, Second Serve Impact Week got underway. A nationwide Second Serve team will make 57 donations to communities across the country.

Second Serve was created by Ayanna and Amani Shah, two sisters from San Diego’s North County area.  Ayanna is a high school senior, Amani a junior at Stanford. Passionate junior tennis players, each became inspired by Eduardo Sanchez, the head pro at Rancho Valencia, a nearby facility.

“He had a program for under-resourced kids that was just across the border in Mexico,” said Ayanna. “So we went with him to distribute it, and that experience is basically what launched this whole thing. ... We started collecting equipment from friends and family and just donating it to Eduardo and one other site in San Diego.” From there, everything progressed.

Read more: Youth-led nonprofit Second Serve hosts community day to inspire under-resourced kids

There are now dozens of Second Serve donation boxes at locations all over the country, from public facilities like Los Angeles’ Palisades Tennis Center to private clubs such as Edgewood Country Club in River Vale, N.J. Hundreds of volunteers–the vast majority of whom are teenagers–subsequently go to these donation boxes, pick up what’s been donated, and distribute items throughout their communities.

On Sept. 15 and 16, the Shahs visited a half-dozen high schools in the greater Los Angeles area.  At these six high schools, 81 to 97% of the students are economically disadvantaged.  Over the course of those two days, Second Serve donated 220 items. Ayanna estimates that 90% of the people who receive equipment from Second Serve cannot afford to buy a tennis racquet.

“It’s really about the kids we’re serving,” she said.  “This equipment is a conduit for keeping kids as healthy as possible. ... I don’t think you can put into words the feeling that you get when you just meet someone who’s so grateful for your donation.”

We are at a school in a community where no one plays tennis,” said Dan Castillo, tennis coach at one of the recent schools Second Serve visited, Phineas Banning High School in Los Angeles. “When kids try out for the team, that’s probably the first time they’ve held a racquet in their hands.”

Programs like the one at Banning typically provide racquets in communal fashion, the players often using different frames each time they play. “So the chance to have your own racquet is fantastic,” said Castillo.

Yvette Galicia, tennis coach at Artesia High School, was grateful for both the racquets and shoes. “Second Serve has brought a lot of excitement and a lot of pride,” she said. “It brought our girls closer.”

In the United States, Second Serve donates to a variety of organizations, including NJTL chapters, Boys and Girls Clubs, and YMCAs. Second Serve has also partnered with many organizations all over the world, donating 2,900 items to programs in Uganda, nearly 1,200 in both Mexico and India, 600 to Haiti, 500 to Nigeria, and 300 in Argentina.

“We want to get as many kids into the sport as possible,” said Ayanna.

Over the years, Second Serve’s work has earned praise from others.  This summer, Second Serve was one of the organizations given the Billie Jean King Youth Leadership Award by ESPN. This award celebrates young people who use the power of sports as a catalyst for social change.

“I don’t think I can put into words the feeling that you get when you meet somebody that’s so grateful for your donation,” said Ayanna. “It’s heartwarming.”