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

My name is Dominic Modise. I have been
a college coach for 10 years. I have coached at 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 of my shoes. My friends and I
used to cut a bicycle tire to patch them. 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 couldn't 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 had always dreamed of playing college tennis and
making the most of my life.
Tennis has done a lot for me and has
opened so many doors for me. I was able to earn a Bachelors Degree in Marketing
from the University of Hawaii at Manoa and a 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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