OPAF

Darren Kindred honored as Outstanding Young Alumni

Darren Kindred was recently honored as the Tyler Junior College's Outstanding Young Alumni of 2008.  Kindred, a 1992 graduate of the TJC Tennis Tech program, a professional tennis management program, has served as the Director of Tennis for First Volley since its inception in 2005.  First Volley is an adaptive tennis program of OPAF, the Orthotic & Prosthetic Assistance Fund, who offers adaptive tennis skills and drills to amputees, stroke survivors, kids with cerebral palsy and others who want to try tennis but choose not to sit in a wheelchair to do so.

Kindred recently presented First Volley as part of the United States Tennis Association Tennis Teacher Conference in New York City.  First Volley was recently named the USTA Community Service Award Winner for Adaptive Tennis.

Kindred is the Director of Tennis and Head Teaching Professional for Bucks County Racquet Club in Washington Crossing, PA.  He and his wife Dawn reside in Yardly, PA with daughters, Lexie and Josie.

OPAF Receives Wadsworth Golf Grant

OPAF and the First Clinics have received a $7500 grant to further the work of the First Swing/Learn to Golf Clinics which are designed to introduce or re-introduce amputees and those with physical challenges to the game of golf.  OPAF recently held a First Swing clinic at the Atlantic City Country Club which brought seven amputees and stroke victims to the driving range to work on both swing techniques and game fundamentals.

“This grant will allow us to take First Swing/Learn to Golf Clinics further and farther and bring adaptive sports to the O & P community.  We are very pleased to once again be the recipient of a

Wadsworth

grant.  This is the fourth year in a row that we have received grant funding from

Wadsworth

and are much honored at the confidence that they continue to place in the OPAF First Clinics,” said OPAF Executive Director, Robin Burton.

The next OPAF First Swing/Learn to Golf Clinic will be held on Saturday, June 28 at the Addison Links and Tees facility in

Addison

,

Illinois

.  The clinic will be led by NAGA instructors Bud Sanders and Don Zommer and will run from 9 am to 12 noon.  As with all First Clinics, there is no charge for participants, but we do ask for registrations so that we are prepared.

First Volley at SOAR in 2008

First Volley returned to Bloomfield Tennis & Fitness Club for a sponsored clinic by SOAR.  This was the second clinic sponsored by SOAR, having offered one on October 2007.  Clinic was led by First Volley Instructor, Marie Vanasse and assisted by First Volley Director of Tennis, Darren Kindred.  This was Marie’s first clinic to lead.  We had nine attendees register and a total of seven attend.  These seven represented a 98% return rate from the previous clinic!  We were very pleased.  Almost all attendees were good tennis players which led the clinic in a new direction.  After the normal pace of a First Volley clinic and participants being led through the different strokes and drills, there was live ball play and a round robin tournament for the last hour of the clinic.  Clinic concluded with the Prince Sports, Hitting For Prizes.

Sponsor banners were displayed and still photography was taken.  Clinic was also attended by Todd Salley of College Park Industries who brought his video camera and took both video and interviews with clinic attendees.  SOAR provided refreshments and water bottles for everyone.  OPAF provided SOAR First Volley t-shirts for all in attendance.  Participants were also offered Endolite headbands and wrist bands, First Volley socks and copies of Tony Barr’s book.

Comments included:

“I had a great time and will start to play again.  I will also do whatever I can to promote First Volley.”  Jim Lagerstrom, participant

“This program is exceptional.  I am getting back into tennis as a direct result of this program.  Coaches and staff were outstanding!”  Jim Pastor, participant

“More time would have been nice”, Matthew Staines, participant

OPAF Select Accomplishments for 2007

The Orthotic & Prosthetic Assistance Fund, Inc. (OPAF), serving with distinction as the Official Philanthropy of the U.S. Orthotic & Prosthetic community, works to provide programs, clinics and events which promote health and fitness for those served within the O & P field.  From our founding to support the 1996 Paralympic Games to today's First Clinics, we are reaching out to the physically challenged and working with them in areas of adaptive recreational sport.  To that end, we offer the OPAF Select Accomplishments for 2007.

• Hosted 18 clinics across the US and into Canada, over three times the number in previous years, including First Volley, First Swim, First Swing and First Dive Clinics
• Initiated First Dive, an adaptive intro to scuba clinic for amputees and those with physical challenges
• Created the O & P Meetings Calendar on the OPAF website, a single location to view a comprehensive list of upcoming meetings with the O & P community.
• Our flagship program, First Volley, was named the United States Tennis Association's National Community Service Award winner for 2007 for Adaptive Tennis
• Began and strengthened relationships with other like minded organizations across the country, working with the disabled in adaptive recreational sports.  These groups include Upper Extremity National Outreach Coalition, Amputee Coalition of America, National Ability Center, Great Lakes Adaptive Sports Association, University of Utah Recreational Therapy Dept., University of North Carolina-Wilmington Recreational Therapy Dept, Limbs for Life program "Kicking For Kids Who Can't", Florida Disabled Outdoor Association and USTA Wheelchair and Adaptive Tennis.
• OPAF's newsletter, "Opportunities, Possibilities And Fun" has grown from a modest subscription number of 175 to over 600 subscribers in less than a year
• Launched the OPAF Blog to keep internet subscribers and browsers up to date on OPAF events
• OPAF and First Volley named the USTA Middle States Organization of the Year for 2007
• Held First Bid, a Live and Silent Auction fundraising event in conjunction with the Academy Scientific Symposium.  Single most successful fundraising event in OPAF's recent history
• Hosted two Thranhardt Golf Classics in conjunction with the national meetings
• Recipient for the second year in a row of a $20,000 grant for First Volley from the United States Tennis Association Tennis & Education Foundation
• Held a Strategic Planning Session with the OPAF Board of Directors and Advisory Board members to work on future direction and goals
• Received 120 donated tennis racquets from Billie Jean King and World Team Tennis for distribution to adaptive tennis participants
• Created and held to our First Balanced Budget in recent history

OPAF day-to-day business is conducted by a staff of one and a very active Board of Directors and Advisory Board as well as paid instructors for First Clinics

These Athletes Love the Game

From Bucks County Courier Times, Sunday, December 30, 2007

Erika Rebstock lobbed the ball as hard as she could. At 8 years old, she is the eldest of four siblings who gleefully ran around the tennis court Saturday at the Bucks County Racquet Club in Upper Makefield.

Erika was there for First Volley, a non-competitive tennis clinic for amputees and orthosis-wearers. The clinic gives Erika a chance to play the game she picked up nearly two years ago after spying rackets and balls at her grandparents' house.

Erika wears an arm prosthesis. She was born with a deformed hand.

“[Tennis] was sort of like baseball,'' she thought back then. “And it just got me interested.''

Erika's father, Erik Rebstock, drove his four kids to the clinic from their Medford, N.J., home. Erika joined about 15 other players who wore orthotic braces or prosthetic limbs and their friends and family.

Started by the Orthotic and Prosthetic Assistance Fund of Lower Southampton, the First Volley clinics began in August 2005. Only one clinic was held that year. Now entering its third year, fund members hope to hold more than 20 clinics in various parts of the country.

The fund originally was established in 1995 to help paralyzed people receive proper care during the Paralympic Games. Today the fund supports fitness activities for amputees, including golf and swimming clinics.

“My student Dana was really what started the clinics,” said Darren Kindred, a director of tennis at the Bucks County club and for First Volley clinics. Dana Bezar's enthusiasm for the game sparked her instructors to look into doing the same for others. So began the clinics.

Bezar, 25, is a quadrilateral amputee from Titusville, N.J., who has been playing tennis now for about the 10 years. She lost her limbs when she was only 21/2 years old because of an illness.

“I would watch my mom and brother play and thought, it looks fun. Why can't I play tennis?” she said.

Bezar started lessons under an instructor at the Bucks County club and soon she was swinging away with a racket attached to a modified prosthetic arm with a clamp. She began working with Kindred, and now plays at as many First Volley clinics as she can under his instruction.

She looked comfortable and happy on the court Saturday. So did the 45 volunteers who were playing or teaching, picking up stray balls, or just enjoying the games.

Representatives from the U.S. Tennis Association were there too, filming a documentary about First Volley. Recently the association's Tennis and Education Foundation awarded the fund a $20,000 grant. This will cover the costs of eight clinics and support the fund's budget of $166,000, said Robin Burton, executive director of the fund.

The U.S. Tennis Association also just named the fund the USTA Middle States Organization of the Year, and honored First Volley as the USTA Adaptive Tennis National Community Service Award Winner for 2008. This was in no small part for helping hundreds of amputees across the country have unique opportunities, said Burton.

“What we're trying to do is to get people back up and active and engaged in life,” she said. “We were extremely pleased with the turnout and the enthusiasm of the players.”

Among the enthusiasts Saturday was Brandon Holiday of Moorestown, N.J. Despite being an amputee for the past year and a half, the tennis coach at the Valley Forge Military Academy and College doesn't hesitate when it comes to challenging physical pursuits. He was the top-ranked tennis player in college at the University of Maryland, and Holiday now competes in extreme sports for amputees, like rock climbing.

He'll join a mixed martial arts competition this year, in which his prosthetic limb will be covered in foam so he can kick with it.

“It's not a limitation, just a matter of being able to adapt,” he said.

First Volley clinic schedule:

Feb. 29: The Caribe Royale Resort Tennis Courts in Orlando, Fla.

March 16: Sponsored by Clark Orthotics & Prosthetics, in Columbus, Ohio

May 17: Sponsored by Berke Prosthetics, in Portola Valley, Calif.

July 11: Adventure Amputee Camp, in Bryson City, N.C.

This is not a final schedule for 2008. More clinics may be organized. For more information call the Orthotic and Prosthetic Assistance Fund at 215-752-5756.

These Athletes Love the Game

Thranhardt Golf Registration Now Open

OPAF's Thranhardt Golf Classic, to be held in conjunction with the Academy National Meeting in Orlando, is now open for registration.  The Thranhardt Classic will be held on Wednesday, February 27, 2008 at the Grand Cypress Golf Club in Orlando.

We will be playing on The New Course at Grand Cypress which adds another dimension of play to the Orlando golf scene with steeper and more challenging bunkers and slopes.  The New Course is a Jack Nicklaus' tribute and homage to the famed Old Course at St. Andrews, Scotland.  Very little water and very few trees are located within the interior of the course, but when it does, it just may suprise you!

Individual play for the Thranhardt Golf Classic will be $200, which includes green fees, cart fees, a boxed lunch, goodie bag and roundtrip transportation from the Caribe Royale Resort.  Foursome Play will be $750.  Sponsorships are available as always and are greatly appreciated.  Registration materials may be found on the OPAF website homepage at www.opfund.org and Major Credit Cards are accepted.

Plan to join with your O & P friends, colleagues and supporters of the Official Philanthropy of the US Orthotic & Prosthetic Community and enjoy a great day of golf on one of Florida's premier courses.

OPAF and First Volley Middle States Organization of the Year

OPAF and First Volley have been named the USTA Middle States Organization of the Year, according to Nathanial Harrison, Marketing Coordinator for the USTA Middle States organization.  Our thanks go out to our Tennis Service Representative, Kitty Perrin, for putting together a compelling nomination which comprehensively outlined the wonderful year we have had.    The award will be presented at the Middle States Annual Meeting and Awards Luncheon on March 9.

It has been an incredible few weeks for OPAF and First Volley!  For an organization and program of this size to have this type of recognition and reward on a national basis is so rewarding yet humbling.  We are working to bring adaptive tennis to those who may have thought it not possible.  The tennis world is definitely recognizing our work!

OPAF and First Volley Awards

It has been an incredible few weeks for OPAF and First Volley.  In November we were notified that USTA has selected First Volley as the USTA Community Service Award Winner for 2007 for Adaptive Tennis.

Last week we were notified that USTA Tennis and Education Foundation has once again awarded First Volley with a $20,000 grant for clinics in 2008

And last night we received news that OPAF and First Volley have been named the USTA Middle States Organization of the Year!

I am quoting and giving credit to Michael Burton, Immediate Past President in his remarks below as he is more eloquent in these times than I am....

"I am extremely proud of everyone who had a part in helping the First Volley program to grow and to earn the recognition that is now coming our way.  I have known since even before our very first clinic that this program was outstanding and unique.  I am delighted now to know that others recognize how valuable these clinics are to those who have physical challenges.  The tennis community truly recognizes our efforts and successes.

My dreams have come true with First Volley achieving exceptional quality prior to achieving quantity with the number of participants.  As I head towards my sunset in an official capacity with the organization I challenge everyone to successfully communicate to the O & P community how these clinics can benefit patients, practitioners, and practices.  Therein lies our challenge.  I will be happy to lend my support, but must rely on all of you to carry on the mission of the organization and to help First Volley to reach even more participants in the future.  The tennis world has recognized and acknowledged our exceptional efforts.  Now it is up to us to capitalize on these honors and allow even more people to benefit from what we have to offer.  Thanks to all of you.  You are all awesome!"

I heartily agree with Burton.  Our challenge now is to find a way to get our own community enthused with and supportive of a program that the tennis community clearly recognizes as worthwhile.

Congratulations to all of you and the part you've played and now,on with the good work!

First Volley Scores USTA Tennis & Education Foundation Grant Again!

The Orthotic & Prosthetic Assistance Fund, Inc. (OPAF, www.opfund.org), founder of the First Volley^TM Tennis Clinics, announces that they have been awarded a $20,000 grant from the United States Tennis Association Tennis and Education Foundation.  This is the second year in a row that First Volley has been a grant recipient from this division of the USTA.

These funds will represent eight First Volley clinics across the country for amputees and those with physical challenges who wish to try their tennis skills with certified professional instructors.  “We are so honored to have been selected again by USTA Tennis and Education Foundation as a recipient of one of their grants.  These funds will allow First Volley attendees to learn or re-learn tennis skills and get them involved in an active lifestyle again,” said Robin Burton, OPAF Executive Director.

First Volley offers quality adaptive tennis instruction to amputees and those with physical challenges who wish to try their tennis skills, but choose not to sit in a wheelchair to do so.  Our participants range in age from 5 to 80 and come to us with little or no tennis experience to playing league tennis with able bodied players. Adaptive ambulatory tennis drills and live ball action are all part of a First Volley Clinic.  Wheelchair players are always welcome.  OPAF is fortunate to have Prince Sports as a sponsor for our equipment and Hitting For Prizes segment for First Volley clinics.

Our next First Volley clinic will be Saturday, December 29 at Bucks County Racquet Club, located at

1150 Lord Sterling Road

in Washington Crossing, PA from 1-4 pm.  First Volley was recently named the USTA National Community Service Award Winner for Adaptive Tennis for 2007.  The award will be presented at the USTA Community Development Workshop in

Las Vegas

in February, 2008.