NJ student group raises thousands to support free tennis for Newark youth
Rally for Tennis, an organization made up of high school and college students from across North Jersey, recently raised thousands of dollars for Greater Newark Tennis and Education (GNTE), a group that provides free tennis programming and academic support to Newark youth.
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A student-led fundraising group is helping ensure Newark children continue to have access to free tennis instruction and educational opportunities.
Rally for Tennis, an organization made up of high school and college students from across North Jersey, recently raised thousands of dollars for Greater Newark Tennis and Education (GNTE), a nonprofit that provides free tennis programming and academic support to Newark youth.
The two groups came together Thursday night to celebrate the fundraising effort and the impact the program has had on generations of students. GNTE currently serves more than 150 children.
"We try to teach them life skills as well because tennis takes you out of your community, takes you into a lot of different communities, and we want the kids to be prepared when they go," said Bob Bynum, GNTE's director of tennis.
Rally for Tennis students told News 12 that supporting GNTE allows young people to share opportunities they have benefited from themselves.
"My family and I, we're really lucky to be able to learn tennis, and I know I love being able to spread that to other people as well because it's truly a really big part of my life," said Rally for Tennis student Samir Sukhatme.
Students enrolled in the program said their coaches, like Bynum, encourage them to look at tennis as more than just an after-school activity.
"You would think that since it's free and for all different age groups, it's just fun, you could do whatever you want, but Bob, as a coach, he really pushes us and wants us to know this is something real so you can get better," said Nava Athias.
The organization's impact can also be seen in alumni like Jason Honore, who joined the program as a child and is now headed to Rutgers University in the fall.
"It's OK if you fail, it's OK if you fall down, but you always have to get up and keep trying," Honore said. "I came in terrible. I was one of the best kids in the program, and then they made me a coach at 14."
Karen Gruenberg, executive director of Greater Newark Tennis and Education, said the program's benefits extend well beyond the tennis court.
"It's not just about hitting a forehand well or a backhand well," Gruenberg said. "It's about understanding, getting mastery, gaining resilience, building confidence. Those are the kinds of life skills they really carry with them."
GNTE leaders said they hope their partnership with Rally for Tennis will continue to grow and help provide opportunities for Newark youth for years to come.
"It takes a village," Bynum said. "It always does, and it always will."
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