Today we’d like to introduce you to Nicole Grogan
Hi Nicole, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
Third Serve Foundation was founded in 2021 by Jonathan Barth and Bruce Hawtin to grow tennis in our community to underserved students who may otherwise possess access to the sport. Our mission is to introduce tennis to children in the Charleston area while fostering an environment that facilitates growth on and off the court. We achieve our primary objective of promoting growth for our students through our affiliation with the USTA Foundation’s “National Junior Tennis and Learning” (NJTL) Network, utilizing educational curriculum and customizable health and wellness techniques. Through these methods, our organization encompasses students from 5 different schools, impacting over 200 students in the past three years and over 75 currently active players. We host programming between two facilities, one at Seabrook Island Racquet Club for our Middle School players and one at the Roy Barth Tennis Center on Kiawah Island for our elementary players, providing entirely no-cost transportation and clinics to registered students through our partnered schools. Programming is held year-round and can work with all-level players from all demographics, including a bi-lingual program for our Hispanic students who suffer from language barrier insecurity in athletics. As we continue to expand our outreach, we aim to impact over 500+ students in the Charleston area through tennis by the end of 2024.
We all face challenges, but looking back, would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
Our organization has experienced a privileged journey to success thanks to our team of local supporters and volunteers who play pivotal roles in ensuring our program’s accomplishments. From facilitating recognition as a 501(c)(3) non-profit to chapter affiliation of the NJTL, our community has collectively worked as one to bring Third Serve to life. That being said, our program is not free of any hardships. Our primary obstacles in day-to-day operations are rooted in maintaining consistent fundraising. Although our incredibly supportive community strives to keep our organization financially afloat, teaming up with local businesses and sponsors has remained at the forefront of our struggles. Although we take pride in Third Serve being notably uplifting compared to other local non-profit work in our area, we fall on the latter end of concern for funding. However, our students’ continued success and academic and athletic growth within our program prove our work to be a proactive vehicle against the inevitable continuation of the underserved cycle many of our students are susceptible to falling victim to. We are tirelessly working to spread our mission’s potential in preventing the possible decline of our students’ progress as individuals through showcasing our long-term impact on students returning to Third Serve programming year after year and how their potential as growing athletes has the potential to empower our entire community.
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might need to become more familiar with what you do, what can you tell them about what you do?
My name is Nicole Grogan, and I am the assistant director of the Third Serve Foundation. I am a proud alumnus of the University of South Carolina with a bachelor of science degree and have been an activist towards improving the lives of young students for the past 8 years. I am most notably known for my work with the Third Serve Foundation in Charleston, South Carolina, and the expansion of the programming I have developed and administered to our growing organization over the past two years. I am immensely proud of our students’ development in their studies, their drive to grow as individuals through tennis, and all they have accomplished in their extra-curricular journey. I am proud of the families I have had the privilege of connecting with through this organization and the love we share for the importance of health and wellness activities in our underserved school systems. I don’t specialize in something other than one particular area of work, as directing a non-profit calls for professionalism in all departments of an organization. This includes, but is not limited to, client, donor, and volunteer management; program development; community demographic and needs awareness; event planning for donors and students; marketing, sales, and most importantly, citizen relationship management (CRM), better known as corporately as customer relationship management. In Third Serve’s terms, CRM is facilitating, building, maintaining, and promoting relationships with all community citizens, from our generous donors to local businesses, school systems, facilities, and even our four-year-old, first-time tennis players. What sets me apart from others is my respect and loyalty for each individual associated with our organization. I hold space in my heart for those impacted by our work and the change our industry is making nationally in growing the game of tennis amidst empowering students of all demographics to develop into impactful individuals. This devotion has subsequently led to an incredible community I never could have dreamed of cultivating.
Let’s end by discussing what matters most to you and why.
My values are aligned with those of my industry and organization to facilitate growth. Our world is always, to some degree, in need. Whether it is emotional, financial, or physical stability, it’s becoming more critical to empower those around us and work as a community to build each other up to our highest potential. The fate of our world is in the hands of our youth, and it is up to us to capitalize on each student’s power to create a better tomorrow. Tennis acts as a vehicle in our organization to facilitate this growth through health, wellness, and education that transparently reflects what matters most to me: facilitating growth in those around us today to ensure a better tomorrow.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.thirdservefoundation.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thirdservefoundation/
- Facebook: https://m.facebook.com/people/Third-Serve-Foundation/100089389870594/
- Other: info@thirdservefoundation.com
