Tennis lesson: Local volunteer helps 'Make a Racket for Kids'

SALT LAKE CITY — For most kids, summer is defined by hot, lazy days playing by pools, catching up on reading or vegging out to bad television.

For the kids at The Road Home, the Salt Lake City homeless shelter, summer isn't so fun.

This summer, one local man decided to change that. David Jones started the "Make a Racket for Kids" program at The Road Home. Once a week for eight weeks he practiced with kids at the shelter, teaching them the basics on the courts in Pioneer Park.

"Coming into this population where they've obviously had zero exposure to the game of tennis, it's a lot different," Jones said. "It's eye-opening at first."

The program got off to a rocky start, as gaining the trust of the kids at the Road Home took time. But by the end of the eight-week program, Jones had a group of 10 or more dedicated players showing up for practice each week. One of his steady students, 10-year-old Kiara Fortner, was there for their last practice this Thursday.

"Most people, before I know them, I don't like them," Fortner said. "It's just an instinct."

Now Fortner has come to love picking up the racket and learning from Jones. In fact, playing tennis has become one of her favorite things to do this summer. Fortner, like all the other kids who have spent the past eight weeks with Jones and his program, received a brand new racket, T-shirt and gift card for a pair of tennis shoes. But she said Jones made the biggest impact.

"He's a good teacher," she said. "He helps us. He explains stuff."

On Thursday, kids pulled the crisp white shirts over their heads and grabbed a slice of pizza as practice came to an end.

"We love it because the kids get outside and bond with their peers," said Michelle Tschetter, services supervisor for The Road Home. "We're really excited about this program."

Tschetter said the shelter had never worked with the Utah Tennis Association and was glad to have another partner. She said seeing the kids happy and learning something new was her favorite part of the job.

"They just get to be kids," she said.

"They do have very different backgrounds," Jones added, "but at heart they're still kids. They want to have fun."

e-mail: gbarker@desnews.com