The Sports Shed donates tennis rackets to Chicago children
Because of her go-getter style, 160 Chicago schoolchildren can now take to their local tennis courts this summer with a nice racket.
Upon learning that a young Chicago tennis professional was falling short of his goal to donate tennis rackets to Chicago Public School students, Tina Sernett instantly knew what she had to do: As proprietor of The Sports Shed, a nonprofit sporting goods cooperative, the Vernon Hills mom began to make phone calls and work her volunteer network.
Less than a week later, Sernett's small SUV pulled up to Tuley Park on Chicago's South Side, loaded with 50 rackets - many of them new - and just in time for the year-end, Chicago Public School tennis championships for its sixth-, seventh- and eighth-graders.
For her, there was no greater reward than seeing the kids' faces light up the moment she pulled into the tennis court parking lot.
Through a friend, Sernett learned that Vasiliy Guryanov, 24, was staging a one-person campaign to collect gently used tennis rackets for the Chicago Public Schools. A graduate of Von Steuben High School, his "Spread the Love" campaign was Guryanov's way of thanking the school system's tennis program for keeping him interested in his studies.
The Uzbekistan native today works full-time as an associate at Midtown Tennis Club in Chicago. He specializes in restringing tennis rackets and last year won a speed-stringing, Grand Slam Stringer contest in Orlando. So enthusiastic about making this donation, Guryanov even talked Midtown into offering a 10 percent pro shop discount to members who donated a racket.
But a week before the May 24 championships, Guryanov was worried that he wouldn't be able to meet his goal of donating 150 rackets.
Enter Sernett, who last year founded The Sports Shed to collect used sporting equipment from moms like herself, and then put them into the hands of social service agencies. Previous recipients include Girls in the Game, and Mercy Home for Boys and Girls - both based in Chicago - and the Boys & Girls Club of Lake County. The Sports Shed has collection bins in several locations, including the Vernon Hills Park District Sullivan Center, 635 Aspen Drive, and Sports 11, 838 S. Milwaukee in Libertyville. It also has an arrangement with the Vernon Hills Cougar Youth Athletic Association to collection items at certain events.
"When I heard about Vasiliy, I knew that with a little work, I could help him meet his goal," says Sernett. "Of course, the chance to make kids happy with the gift of sports equipment is my goal, obviously, so we had that in common."
And seeing Sernett arrive - just as she had promised - with an armful of rackets before the start of the tournament made Guryanov very happy.
"To me, Tina is the 'Mother Teresa' of sports equipment," says Guryanov, grinning. With Sernett's assistance, he even exceeded his goal. Together, they handed out 160 tennis rackets to eager kids just as they were to take to the courts for their matches.
"Two weeks ago, I'd never heard of Tina or The Sports Shed," Guryanov said. "And then out of the blue, here she comes with all these tennis rackets," he said. "Isn't life funny that way? Now we're making plans to 'Spread the Love' even more for next year."