Spring / Summer 2024 | Community 21
JAMMA Tennis
After Francois Chan , a high school tennis coach in Los Altos , California , was forced to retire in 2019 due to his PD diagnosis , some of his former students ran tennis clinics for kids to continue his legacy of getting youth involved in the sport . Since its launch in 2021 , more than 60 teenage coaches have joined JAMMA Tennis , above , named with the initials of its young founders ’ names , resulting in over 200 clinic sign-ups in five locations and $ 100,000 raised for Parkinson ’ s research .
Dining for a Cure
In Saratoga Springs , New York , high school junior Mackenzie Hamelin , 16 , raised over $ 7,000 in 2023 through her first fundraiser — Dining for a Cure — in honor of her grandfather William Hamelin , who lives with Parkinson ’ s ( left above , with Mackenzie ). Watching her parents and grandparents manage his disease , “ I felt like there was nothing I could do , since I ’ m a teenager ,” says Mackenzie . “ But then I found Team Fox and realized there is always a way to help , whether you are eight or 80 .”