Tennis Camp for Kids 2010

Operation Breakthrough
Tennis Camp for Kids: A 2010 CKS Fundraiser Event
Event Date: Saturday, June 19, 2010. 3:45 PM to 6:00 PM
A Comprehensive Event Report by Ashwini Sreedhara

Ultimately, as children, opportunities are what enable us to succeed. They are the means to potential happiness to a different life. Take away the crucial exposure to possibilities, and a void is left resulting in monotony and danger to self-define a young life. The lack of opportunities precedes a lack of family, adequate education, and structure for thousands of inner-city children in the Greater Kansas City area. They are in need of basic human necessities such as a home, food, and love. They are in need of safety and friendship. They are in need of a breakthrough.

Operation Breakthrough is a non-profit charity organization that houses inner-city children that have no home, or perhaps a drug-immersed family. In renovated brick building sponsors that work there provide them with nourishment, safety from violent street gangs, and most importantly, the opportunities to succeed. Perhaps a little girl will find that she has an excellent writer, or a young man will sing for the first time. Maybe someone will realize their passion for painting and drawing, and maybe a child will use a computer for the first time in his life. These are the kinds of opportunities that hold the enticing promise of a better life, stability, and that is what Operation Breakthrough gives them.

Suffocated by the recent economic crisis, Operation Breakthrough has had major losses in state funding, significantly weakening their ability to take on more children. They are left with a waiting list hundreds of suffering children long. Moved by the organization's actions, motivations, and successes, the Chandanna Kannada Sangha of Kansas City (a cultural community organization), pledged to raise money for Operation Breakthrough.

The Chandanna Kannada Sangha (CKS) is comprised of 100+ Kannada-speaking families in the Kansas City Metro area, and this is the second year in a row the Sangha is partnering with Midtown Tennis Club to raise funds for a worthy cause. As a part of 17th anniversary celebration, CKS hosted a tennis camp for children aged 7 to 18 at Midtown, in which 46 children participated and raised $1,100.00, all of which was presented to Operation Breakthrough. Midtown Tennis Club hosts many tournaments and events for tennis players of all ages, and offer lesson programs for anyone from toddlers to adults; many of their professional coaches come from highly experienced backgrounds, some having played in several grand slams.

The teaching pros drilled and played games with the children, who were divided up by age and placed on one of several courts. This event would not have been successful without the involvement of the teaching pros, Guerin Smith, Dave Gary, Anthony Perkins, and Kelly Ewert. The Membership Director, Brad Houx made this event possible for the CKS and the Tennis Director, Dave Gary gave away goodies to each child participating in the event.

Operation Breakthrough brought six children from the organization, and after initial shyness, they too smiled and played. On my court was a small African American boy named Keeshon. He had been with Operation Breakthrough for some time. At first he didn't speak, but presented with an opportunity to play tennis, and make fast friends, he became lively and invigorated. Twice he bested my doubles team on the court. He had never played tennis before in his life, and he was placed on the court with the most skilled, oldest participants. My friend, Andrew, patiently taught him how to properly hold a tennis racket. He groaned with us when we lost a point, and cheered loudly when we won one. Looking at Keeshon, I wondered what his life had been like before. Did he have a family? A home? I realize how easy it is for us all to forget the scope of our problems, take for granted things like health, friendships, education. For him, it takes merely an opportunity to be thankful for his blessings. For the rest of us that have endured lesser hardships, it takes a loss to be thankful.

Operation Breakthrough is a vessel for children to find themselves in ways they could not before. Famous icons such as George Herman (Babe) Ruth, Harry Houdini, and J.K. Rowling all found themselves once in a situation strikingly similar to the children in Operation Breakthrough. Had they not found an opportunity, whether self-conceived or given to them, they would not have pursued their passion to international fame. Later, Keeshon came and asked me if we could do this every Saturday. With much difficulty, I replied no, maybe next year. But my sadness was replaced with happiness as I saw him chatting animatedly with the other children, comparing rackets and eating cookies, like he had belonged there all along. Thanks to the philanthropic efforts from CKS and Midtown Tennis Club, he had found a breakthrough!

For more information on Operations Breakthrough, please visit http://www.operationsbreakthrough.org