http://www.charlestownbridge.com/archive/news_db/20071206/20071206.html
PHOTO CAPTION: Tom Desmond (seated) is seen with participants from the CHAD tennis program.
In the winter of 1989, Charlestown residents Tom Desmond and Nick Adams approached Charlestown Against Drugs Chairman Peter Looney with the idea of launching a sports program that would help deter adolescents from succumbing to substance abuse and other reckless behavior. While the community had a long tradition of youth athletic leagues, Desmond and Adams proposed introducing at-risk kids to tennis, a sport that they might not otherwise have a chance to play.
With CHAD on board, the program was launched at the Charlestown Community Center on Medford Street. Its tennis clinics initially served about 20 kids, who all shared a single racket. To date, the program runs year round and has served hundreds of kids in the community who benefit not only from the athletic component, but from tutoring in their studies as well.
“It’s a very healthy, constructive activity for kids who would otherwise be walking the streets,” said Desmond, the treasurer and past president of the Charlestown Community Centers and the treasurer of CHAD.
Read more online - click here
No comments:
Post a Comment