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Tennis
Shoes 4 Africa
"patching lives
in South Africa one pair of shoes at the time"
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How The Project Started

Dominic Modise
My name is Dominic Modise. I
have been a college coach for 10 years. I have coached some of the top college
programs in the country. I grew up in Mmabatho, South Africa and my parents were
not well-off. During the Apartheid era life was not easy, to say the least. I
remember playing tennis until my toes were out. My
friends and I used to cut a bicycle tire to patch our shoes. It was a way
of life for us. We played with dead balls. The only time we ever used new balls
was when we played in a tournament. Sometimes we had to take break from playing
because we couldn’t afford strings. But, this didn’t stop us from dreaming and
aiming higher. I always dreamed of becoming a professional tennis player and/or
playing college tennis. Some people thought I was crazy but I followed my
instinct and dreams. I remembered when I came to America on a tennis
scholarship, it was surreal for me. I couldn’t believe that it was happening to
me. I have always dreamed of playing college tennis and making the best of my
life. Tennis has done a lot for me and has opened doors I didn’t even know were
there. I was able to earn a Bachelors Degree in Marketing from the University
of Hawaii at Manoa and Masters Degree in Human Performance from the University
of New Orleans. It exposed me to great things and helped me to realize that
anything is possible. I do believe it is time for me to give back. I have helped
a lot of kids to come to the United States on tennis scholarships, but there are
kids who still need help to improve their lives.
I do believe that you can
make an impact in the life of young people in Africa. Young people are faced
with war, disease, poverty, and lack of opportunities. You can make a difference
by donating a pair of shoes. It doesn’t have to be a new pair but any pair can
help. If you have old tennis balls or old tennis racquets we will highly
appreciate the donation. I urge you to look in your closet at the shoes you
don’t wear anymore or think about all of the dead balls that you throw out.
These simple donations can help brighten children’s day in South Africa.
It is time to make change
and make an impact in the lives of young African kids.
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