Shoes to Share was started with one simple goal in mind, to help under-resourced athletes around the world put their best foot forward. To achieve this, we have set out a fairly ambitious, but achievable plan for getting shoes and sporting equipment to places around the world that need them most. With this in mind, it gives us great pleasure to update you on a recent donation we made to the inspiring Anguilla Tennis Academy Charity.
For anyone who has ever been involved with entertainment, sport or fashion, the chances are you have probably heard of IMG. Recently, my tennis schedule took me to Anguilla in the Caribbean, to take part in one of series of events called the, ‘IMG Academy Caribbean Cup Tennis Series’. The Tennis Series includes 9 different tournaments, with a 10th to follow soon. The Anguilla Tennis Academy hosts one of these 9 events and features 6 recently refurbished courts, a viewing gallery, as well as a fully functioning club house. To anybody who is familiar with the tennis world, this probably doesn’t sound too different from a lot of tennis centres. However, what makes it unique are the truly passionate and generous individuals at the academy who make it what it is today.
The academy was started by its Founder, President and native Anguillan, Mitchelle Lake, who had a vision of making his native land a better place. He worked hard, sourcing land, funding and designers to help make this vision become a reality. The result is nothing short of spectacular, a place where sport now serves as a means to, “shaping lives and building a future” for the people of Anguilla. Since establishing itself in 1996, the Academy has focused all efforts on, “developing healthy minds and providing educational opportunities for children through the sport of tennis.” The tireless efforts of Mitchelle has seen over 4,000 participants take part in the programs set up at the academy who given the chance to pursue scholarship opportunities in the future.
But it doesn’t end there, the Anguilla Tennis Academy has committed itself to providing, “a nurturing environment where children will learn how to apply the principles of sacrifice, work, courage, and service towards building a successful life and becoming ambassadors of the sport of tennis.”. This is why we love it here, and it is our real pleasure to get involved with such an inspiring group of people.
Our recent donation, although small, serves as the first step towards many more that we hope to make here. It is the smiles on the children’s faces and the conversations we have at a place such as this that make us committed to doing our thing for aspiring athletes in need of a little support. However, for us to make the kind of impact we hope to make around the world, we need your help! The equipment donated serves as a means to participate and ultimately a vehicle towards a brighter future. So please, if you have some shoes or equipment that you would like to donate, get in touch or visit the website, we’d love to chat.
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