Teen Lauded for Helping to Launch Bridgehampton Youth Tennis Project

BRIDGEHAMPTON, NY — Young people will now see their horizons expanded as they embrace tennis for the first time, all due to a young man who had a vision and the dedication to make that dream come true.

Jack Louchheim, 14, of Sagaponack, received a proclamation this week from Suffolk County Legislator Bridget Fleming for his efforts to launch the Bridgehampton Youth Tennis Project, raising more than $50,000 and meeting his goal.

"Tennis is his life," Fleming said. "He decided at his young age to launch the Bridgehampton Youth Tennis Project to share his passion with children in the community."

The project entailed not only raising funds but also, helping to orchestrate all phases of the tennis court's construction.

The Bridgehampton Child Care & Recreational Center, Fleming said, was "born out of tragedy," in 1949 after a fire in a migrant worker camp killed two children. The Center, she said, has long met the needs of the "growing immigrant population" as well as children in need; the low cost summer camp includes weekly field trips for kids and other programs.

"And now they have a tennis program, thanks to this young man," Fleming said tearfully in an emotional tribute.

"I just want to say thank you to my community and to everyone who's helped me," Jack said.

Jack, who graduated from Pierson Middle School in the spring and attends Solon High School in New York, nurtured his vision, to create a successful summer program at the Bridgehampton Child Care & Recreational Center.

His goal was to teach tennis to children ages five through eight on a brand new youth tennis court that he personally set out to raise the funds to build.

Jack reported this summer that the Bridgehampton Youth Tennis Project, which had a $50,000 fundraising goal, was officially up and running.

"As many of you know, construction of the Youth Tennis court at the Bridgehampton Child Care & Recreational Center was completed in early June, and the summer Youth Tennis program commenced on Monday, July 11," he wrote to supporters.

Not only did Jack raise funds, he reached out to local clubs and organizations for donations of items such as youth tennis balls, racquets, nets and cones.

An early passion
On his fundraising site, Jack wrote that he is a "very passionate and competitive tennis player."

Tennis is a passion he hopes to share with other young people.

He started playing at the age of five, and plays almost every day, he said. Jack has trained at a number of local tennis clubs including East Hampton Indoor Tennis, the Bridgehampton Club and currently the Ross Tennis Academy, and competes regularly in USTA tournaments across the eastern section. As a seventh grader, he played second singles on the East Hampton High School Varsity tennis team and was undefeated.

"I love tennis for a variety of reasons. I strongly believe that the sport has done much more for me than simply build my fitness and ability. Playing tennis has increased my commitment, mental endurance, self confidence and ability to perform under different circumstances in all aspects of my life. I would not be the motivated student that I am today without it," he wrote.

That's why, Jack said, he believes in opening doors for other young athletes who may never have had the opportunity to see their horizons broadened by tennis.

"I think that this project is a great opportunity for me to help my community and do some good in a way that is also fun and enjoyable for myself, like playing tennis," he told Patch. "This endeavor has taught me many skills that I will use in the future, such as raising money, reaching out to people, and talking publicly to people and organizations. Working with friends has also made the experience a lot of fun."

And, he said, if the program is successful, he plans on continuing it in the summers ahead, and even growing it or building another court, if possible.

Summer Louchheim, Jack's mom, said her son's initiative makes both her and his dad Joseph very proud.

"This project is actually something that we have been discussing together as a family for a couple years now," she said. "My husband and I felt that both our boys were old enough to start developing a better understanding of and compassion for others who lack things that we often take for granted, including financial stability, intact family, and a roof over our heads."

While initially she toyed with the idea of taking her sons on a "volunteer vacation" abroad and even considered ideas such as monitoring sea turtles in Costa Rica or spending time at an orphanage in Peru, Louchheim realized that great need exists on the South Fork, too.

"I found myself feeling that the notion of traveling all the way to another country to volunteer for a week before returning home to our wonderful life here in Sagaponack just didn't add up. I wanted something more meaningful for them, something that would allow them to make a lasting impact and that they could nurture and grow over time. I also didn't think it made sense to travel half way around the world when we have such great need right here in our own community. "

Louchheim said she first visited the Bridgehampton Child Care & Recreational Center in 1999 when she worked at Group for the South Fork; the organization was offered grant money to plant a community vegetable garden.

"I had driven by the BHCCRC my whole life, but knew nothing about it. So when the grant opportunity arose, I toured the property and met with the staff. I noticed a very old and dilapidated tennis court that had been repurposed as a multipurpose court, but thought nothing more of it at the time," she said.

"Nearly 20 years later, when thinking about how Jack might get involved and do some good in our home community, I remembered that same tennis court. Given Jack's intense passion for tennis and his enjoyment of little kids, I figured there was potential there. Knowing the poor condition of the court, I realized that it would be a challenge and would likely involve either renovating that court or building a new one altogether."

The Louchheims met with Bonnie Michelle Cannon, BHCCRC's executive director, and she immediately embraced the idea and encouraged Jack to reach for his dreams.

"The beauty of this project is that it has allowed Jack to gain valuable experience in a wide variety of areas," his mom said. "These include learning to prepare for and conduct a meeting, meeting with, collecting bids from and hiring contractors, writing copy for the website and solicitation purposes, how to prepare and give a power point presentation to potential donors, local politics — requesting the Southampton Town Board waive the building permit fee, attending town board meetings, securing a permit from the building inspector — pursuing financial assistance and equipment donations from the USTA, asking local vendors for support, communicating and 'selling' the project to others, creating spreadsheets for his donor list, and learning how to coach youth tennis."

Louchheim said the outpouring of support from friends, family, community businesses and organizations has been overwhelming. The $50,000 will cover not only construction but will allow the program to continue in future years, she said.

"If this program is just an eight-week phenomenon, it will not have been a success. We want to make sure that it has the momentum to continue, and will grow stronger in the years ahead," she said.