This club volleyball season was difficult to navigate for everyone involved. Despite this, We Serve First found a number of athletes in need of financial support and made sure that they had what they needed to get through this difficult year. We also wanted to supply a few local high school and college programs with equipment; Kiski Area, Leechburg, and St. Vincent received coaches hitting boxes to help train their athletes. It is our hope that these boxes will remain an important tool in these gyms for years to come.
We Serve First also recognizes the need to grow the game in new and different ways. We recently obtained permission and secured a location in Kennedy Park, Vandergrift for a first class grass court. Equipment has been ordered and the final arrangements are being made to install the net standards, hang the net, secure the proper padding for the poles, and place boundary markers for the Ellen Toy Grass Court at Kennedy Park.
This court will be next to the skate park, street hockey court, and basketball courts in an area we hope will bring hours of exercise and joy to kids from our beloved hometown of Vandergrift. Our greatest wish is for someone to discover their own love for the game much in the same way Ellen did some 50 years ago.
While funding for this project will come from We Serve First, we hope that those funds will be replenished in time for next club season. If you’d like to help in any way, click this link to our GoFundMe page.
I’ll be sharing photos of the progress as the court starts to take shape.
I would be remiss if I didn’t mention those who were instrumental in bringing this project to life. Vandergrift town council, JJ Uskuraitis, Lenny Collini, and especially Anthony Guerrera all played important roles. It’s often a thankless job being involved in politics in a small town, but these folks have our best interest at heart. We may not agree on everything, but we all have a passion for “service”. These fine folks always “Choose to Serve!”