Cinda's campaign for Tennis Without Borders Inc

My name is Cinda Holbach and I am currently living in both Moultonborough, NH and Las Vegas, Nevada. My love of tennis started at age 3 when I hit my first tennis ball.  I played jr national, collegiate and professional tennis and was lucky enough to have help along the way. Coaches who gave me free lessons or extra time and great mentors  who explained the importance of giving back to the sport.  I have been Co Director of Tennis for the past 18 years at the Bald Peak  Colony Club in New Hampshire. I also spent the last 10 years teaching tennis in Maine. 

I have had the honor and privilege of volunteering with Tennis without Borders the past 7 years. Our mission is to help children worldwide pursue life opportunities on and off the court using tennis as a vehicle. We have assisted with clubs, schools and National Jr tennis and Learning centers across New England. Additionally, we have travelled to and supported tennis programs in Ghana, Uganda, Cameroon, Ethiopia and Colombia. I personally have been to Cameroon four times (2015-2018), Colombia 2018 and Ethiopia 2019.  I held racket and shoe drives with students and refurbished rackets to bring to these countries. While there,  I assisted coaches, worked with hundreds of children for countless hours on the court and donated  items first hand. I also collaborated with 2 school teachers from Maine and was able to have them add in an art/education component to our work and travel internationally. We also supported local markets by purchasing food, supplies and basic medical supplies. 

We have ongoing relationships with all of the programs we visit through regular communication and continued support of tennis equipment, school fees and supplies and coaching assistance.  Most recently we donated over 50 rackets, 75 pairs of shoes, grips, string and clothing to the Oyebog Tennis Academy in Cameroon (www.otatennis.org). We also continued our sponsorship of several families in Ethiopia where we introduced tennis for the first time last October (www.hmcha.org).

In light of COVID 19 our international travel has been halted. While we continue to support these programs from afar we are putting our efforts into the United States. We are working on creating some “at home kits” which will include tennis rackets, balls, a net as well as some creative art projects. We partnered with several NJTL’s in New England including the Stay and Play program at the CLCYMCA in Maine which offers free tennis, creative art projects and free meals.

Thank you in advance for your support! The funds will be used to continue to help support these programs. We will be able to purchase rackets, grips, string, court equipment and art supplies to create the “at home kits”. We will also be able to directly purchase and give new equipment to those programs not accepting used items. The need has never been so great for kids to have the opportunity to learn and grow both on and off the court!