Record numbers enjoy 'Rally for the Kids'

By Carl Hunnell

LEXINGTON -- The young girl with red hair walked into a hug from her mom.
"Did you have fun?" mom asked.
"Yeah .. and I made a new friend," came the reply.
Friendship was the focus on Saturday afternoon at the Lakewood Racquet Club as
Richland County Children Services staged its fifth annual "Rally for the Kids" tennis
event.
More than 140 youngsters registered for one of the two sessions, which featured the
coaching of Lakewood pro Ron Schuab and the boys and girls tennis teams he coaches at
Lexington High School.
Each session lasted about 75 minutes of court time followed by pizza and drinks. There
was no charge to participants, which included foster children in the custody of the
agency, youngsters from families involved with ongoing services from the agency and
also children in the agency's Kinship Navigator program.
Schaub said Lakewood is always pleased to host the annual mid-winter event.
"It's something my players really look forward to. We stress giving back and this is a
wonderful way to share our sport with other young people," the veteran coach said.
"We hope the kids leave today with fond memories of a positive atmosphere and that they
can think of tennis as a sport they enjoy," Schaub said. "Tennis can be a lifelong sport.
There are always going to be tennis courts these kids can find to play on."
The sessions included basic tennis skills, some light hitting back and forth and ultimately
involved hitting back and forth over the tennis nets.
"I don't care where I hit it," one youngster said with a smile. "I just want to hit it hard."
Greg Kahl, communications supervisor for Children Services, said the registration was
about twice the normal turnout.
"I think it may have something to do with two weeks of snow and being cooped up
inside," he said. "It's a chance for kids to get indoors, play tennis and have fun.
"It's also a credit to the social workers at our agency who took the time to make sure their
clients knew of the event and got them signed up," he said.
Each youngster got a free t-shirt from the event and also a new tennis racket to take
home.
Carl Hunnell, director of external affairs for Children Services, praised Lakewood,
Schaub, his team and also the event sponsors -- American Freight, Contact Industries,
Graham Auto Mall, J&B Acoustical, Lexington Moose Lodge #2511, Pirate Printing,
Taylor Metal Products and Techman Sales Inc.
"Thanks to these folks, we are able to offer this wonderful annual event," Hunnell said.
"The smiles on the faces of these youngsters makes the entire event worthwhile."