ROSE HALL, St James — Fourteen budding tennis stars from Montego Bay were the recipients of tennis gear and equipment valued over US$20,000 during a recent tennis clinic hosted by Safin Bouland, the founder of Bouland Tennis Charity, at Half Moon in Rose Hall, St James.

Tennis pro and founder of Rankine Tennis Academy, Maurren Rankine was tasked to identify children who have demonstrated promise in the sport to be a part of the clinic.

The donation included over 30 pairs of shoes, 20 tennis racquets, bags, hats, and ‘T’-shirts.

Thirteen-year-old Delano Reeves, one of the the clinic, expressed his gratitude for the opportunity to be a part of the training.

“It has always been difficult because my gear and equipment are very expensive, and my mother cannot really afford them. What Safin has done encourages me to never give up. He seems to be very interested in us and believes in our future as young players. In the end, he gave us more than gear, he gave us hope,” Reeves said.

Reeves has been playing tennis since age four, and has represented Jamaica in junior tournaments locally and internationally.

He expressed hope of furthering his tennis career and attending Harvard University.

Bouland, through his charity, offers coaching and fitness training to children ages eight-to-10 years old, as well as access to scholarships to colleges in the United States, and funding to participate in tennis tournaments.

Bouland, now a certified performance instructor with the Professional Tennis Registry, started playing tennis at age nine and was a ball boy at Half Moon before advancing to the Junior Pro level at the resort. He has been coaching tennis in Jamaica and the United States for more than 12 years.

“This partnership with Half Moon takes me back home to make a difference. These youngsters will be better groomed to value the discipline of the sport, as well as have access to much-needed gear and equipment,” said Bouland.

Shernette Crichton, acting general manager at Half Moon, explained that the resort was happy to partner with Bouland on this initiative.

“We take community development very seriously, and as such we will continue to embrace projects that support development through sport. We are proud of Safin and his accomplishments, and we are happy to be a part of this partnership,” stated Crichton.