Volunteers Voice

I absolutely love volunteering for and spending time at Kidsquash. It is a fantastic program because it introduces squash, which isn't a mainstream sport , to local kids. Besides being a great way to involve the greater Cambridge community in a popular Harvard activity, Kidsquash teaches the children valuable lessons that carry forward with them back in school and for the rest of their lives. They learn discipline, responsibility, and how much fun & important physical activity is. Hopefully these students will continue to play squash, and if not, hopefully physical exercise will remain an important part of their lives.

As a child, I personally did not play sports. When I reached college, I realized how important athletics are for one's health (especially for self-esteem), and also how muchfun squash is! I have no doubt that had I been exposed to a program like Kidsquash in elementary school it would have changed my life. This is partly because of one of the great features of squash- i.e. that it is a truly lifetime sport. This became incredibly clear to me last year during the US National Championships in Cambridge when I saw the participants from the 70 and 75 year old age groups. These elderly men and women could no longer play as they could in their youth, but it was still inspiring to watch them play highly competent squash and get exercise. Squash is a rare sport that can allow for lifetime enjoyment. I am thrilled to have discovered it when I did, and even more excited to help introduce it to another generation of children so that they may enjoy it for years to come as well.

-- Michael Jaffe, Class of 2006, Harvard College

Kidsquash is a 501c3 nonprofit organization