Newsletter June 2011
Summer is always an exciting time for tennis! We at Donkor Tennis and Education Foundation (DTEF) are pleased to share the news of our successful second bi-annual tournament and clinic for children in Accra, Ghana this past June. The tournament was held at the Accra Sports Stadium, where we had access to four tennis courts, and made possible by the GTA. DTEF CEO Isaac Donkor travelled to Ghana to run the tournament, bringing with him 15 new rackets and a collection of tennis balls and t-shirts to give away as prizes to the tournament winners.
Tournament Highlights
Over 100 players signed up, our highest number of competitors to date, making this tournament an even bigger success than our first! We were also pleased to have a much higher percentage of girls come out than have attended before, a goal that the DTEF has been striving for.
We were thrilled to arrive in Ghana with this donated equipment and couldn’t wait to distribute it to the kids. Unfortunately a hold up in customs, beyond our control, meant that we could not get the goods until 6pm on the day of the clinic and Isaac was not able to run the clinic the way he wanted to. Although this was a big short-term disappointment for the children and for the Foundation, we will be adding the equipment to any donations received from now until October and will be using it all in our next clinic.
Tons of Equipment was Donated By Our Sponsors!
DTEF couldn’t have held this exciting tournament for our young players without the help of generous sponsors and donations. DTEF was able to ship over 75 slightly used rackets and 3,000 tennis balls, all donated for use by Pro-form coaches and members. Bjorn Neilson, owner of Pro-form also made a generous donation of $3000 to the event.
Other supporters of this tournament included one of our top sponsors, Alicia O’Connor, who donated $500; Jay Gooding, a renowned coach with the USTA, who donated rackets; and Brendan Burke, Inis Arden Tennis Club director, who donated $500 as well as strings, rackets, grips, and sports clothing to our Ghana tennis program.
In other news we are excited to share that a member of our very own board of directors, Mr. Gooding, accompanied one of the USTA’s up and coming junior girls to the French Open first round and Wimbledon 3rd round.
What’s on the Horizon for DTEF?
DTEF is planning some brand new events in the upcoming months meant to introduce even more children in Ghana to the wonderful sport of tennis. In October we will be running our largest clinics to date and will be looking to travel to new parts of Ghana to expand our foundation across the country.
What’s most exciting about our upcoming clinics is that Isaac Donkor will be taking former Hall of Famer, top 10 ATP player, and top coach Marcel Freeman with him to Ghana to help run the clinics and offer coaching and advice to the children. Mr. Freeman has been ranked #1 by the NCAA in men’s tennis and helped Chanda Rubin achieve a top 10 ranking in the WTA. His willingness to share his deep knowledge and vast experience of the game to the children and to aid Isaac in running DTEF events is a major endorsement of our cause in Ghana and we’re absolutely thrilled to have him on board.
We’re Changing the Lives of Even More Children, Thanks to YOU!
We at DTEF want to extend a big thank you to all of our sponsors who are helping us make a difference in the lives of the children of Ghana. Our ability to grow as a foundation and to host new events depends in no small part on YOU. We’re proud to say that this summer we’ve helped more than 400 underprivileged kids build confidence, health, and friendships through tennis.
Isaac Donkor is continuing to spread the word about DTEF’s transformative work and plans for the future in media appearances and interviews. DTEF is focusing our efforts on bringing not just tennis, but education and scholarship opportunities to underprivileged children. We’re excited about the promising future of DTEF and can’t wait to share more success stories with you!