Food Court: Dallas-area juniors organize charity tournament to combat global hunger
Juniors from the Dallas area competed in the fundraiser to fight hunger on June 12, 2021 at the Garland Tennis Center.
Everybody knows that serving is a huge part of tennis, but this past June, a group of junior players in the Dallas area used the lessons they learned on-court to take service to a new level. By leaning on their tennis network, teenagers Akshay Kommineni and Taku Coulston organized a tennis tournament raising thousands of dollars to help fight hunger near and far.
Akshay, 13, of Frisco wanted to make a difference. Both in his home city of Dallas and while visiting family in India, he witnessed a problem spanning borders and oceans: hunger. He saw the faces of people who did not know when their next meals might come, and he pledged to do something to help.
“I was thinking, ‘Let's try and make a difference. Let's try and help these people,’” Akshay said.
Akshay approached his father, Rajiv Kommineni, with the idea. Rajiv said he wasn’t surprised by his son’s proposition because thinking of others seems to come naturally to Akshay.
Their attention turned to how they might be able to approach a challenge as expansive and intimidating as world hunger. The answer came by looking at something that both Akshay and Rajiv shared: their passion for tennis.
“We were brainstorming and [Akshay] said, ‘Can we use tennis? Tennis is a world sport, and this seems like a world problem,’” Rajiv said.
Rajiv (left) and Akshay (right) Kommineni recall organizing the June charity fundraiser.
For Akshay, who picked up his first racquet at age 4 and has been playing competitively since age 6, tennis was the perfect avenue for his passion project — and his network of friends and fellow players could work together to make a fundraising tennis tournament a reality.
“I met [the fundraiser participants] through the USTA junior circuit, and I couldn't have done that without the USTA [community],” he said. “There was such a big network because you play so many tournaments and you could gather so many people. ”One of those friends, Taku, 13, of Plano immediately joined Akshay to organize the event.
“When I first heard the idea, my initial reaction was that it was a great idea and I was surprised that he had come up with [it],” Coulston said.“ Apparently, he had done something like this before when he was little, so that makes sense..
Akshay and Taku worked together to plan a charity tournament where junior players would compete to raise money for two charities: the North Texas Food Bank in Dallas and the Sani Welfare Foundation in India. As an added incentive, tournament champions would receive a $100 gift card.
But organizing the event was not without its challenges. Luckily, the boys’ parents helped pitch in when difficulties arose, like finding a site for the event and spreading the word to the greater tennis community.
Akshay’s father, Rajiv, said that Akshay and Taku did nearly all of the work, but he was happy to assist wherever he could.
“He was a doer, and I was kind of looking to be a support system in the background to make sure that things were moving along and looking out for any ‘gotchas,’” he said. “Every once in a while, they would run into logistics issues, like the courts we thought would be available were not, and that's when I used my tennis network to help him out.”
Taku’s mother, Sae Coulston, loved the idea, too.
“I thought it was a great idea because a tennis tournament would be fun for the kids anyway, and it would also be a good opportunity for the kids to be aware of the problems in society and learn how they can help,” she said.
On June 12, 2021, the charity tournament was held at the Garland Tennis Center, featuring a significant crowd and of course, some excellent tennis talent.
“It was really fun. It came down to a tiebreaker and there were like two teams, and then it was like the US Open!” He said, “everyone was crowded around waiting to see the results of who would win the $100, so that was really exciting.”
By the end of the event, Akshay and Taku had raised $2,600 dollars for the two charities. More than that, these young junior organizers learned valuable lessons about what it means to give back and how a sport they love can be more than just a game.
“The event [was] great, and I’m very happy we raised so much money,” Taku said. “I learned that to host an event, having detailed communication is very important. Information gets confused and lost very easily.”
“You can use sports to bring people together and improve other people's lives,”
Akshay Kommineni
Akshay’s father, Rajiv, said the event was a reminder that tennis is a sport that teaches many lessons — about responsibility, community, and friendship.
“Tennis comes across as an individual sport, but today when I look back and I ask myself who my best friends are, my good friends — most of them have a tennis connection,” he said.
Anirban Dutta, a member of the USTA Texas Board of Directors and Dallas resident agrees.
“Juniors get caught up in rankings, UTR, and chasing dreams like going pro or playing college. It’s great, but [it] is all self-beneficial. Tennis offers learnings beyond chasing those tangible goals,” he said. “Tennis teaches problem solving, leadership, organization, conflict resolution — all of which can be used in moving the proverbial societal needle. Akshay is one of those kids who truly embraced learning from tennis to make a broader societal impact.”
Akshay is already starting to plan future fundraisers. He said sports are more than just games, they can be a unifying, positive force in the world.
“You can use sports to bring people together and improve other people's lives,” he said. “Most people just see [playing] as being for your own satisfaction, but I think it can [do] so much more.”
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