From the newsroom of the KTEN-TV, Channel 10 News, Denison, Texas, Wednesday, July 13, 2005 .....

A group of young Texomans will soon have their very own tennis courts.

A generous donation has enabled the Oklahoma School for the Deaf to build new tennis courts for its hearing impaired students.

KTEN's Chelsea Hover has details.

The Southern Oklahoma Memorial Foundation dedicates its funding to Oklahoma organizations within a 50 mile radius of Ardmore.

They focus their attention on health and education-related causes. The School for the Deaf in Sulphur was a perfect match.

Right now, the students are bussed during their P.E. time to the community courts in Sulphur, which have gone without up-keep.

Now, with the $75,000 grant, the School for the Deaf in Sulphur can add two new tennis courts to its campus, and even more tennis instruction to its program.

The staff will also use the courts for health and wellness programs, and during nights and summers, they will be open to the community.

“We're happy to see assets like that used for more than just during the school day and if it can benefit the community at large, well we're very interested in that,” said Larry Pulliam, the President of Southern Oklahoma Memorial Foundation.

“Having a tennis court here enhances the school and the camps that we have here and we also hope to open it up to the community when we're not using it,” said Terry Gregory, coach and recreation specialist at the School for the Deaf.

The school says they hope to get construction underway in the next couple of weeks, and have the courts ready to use by October. School starts in mid-august.

The Southern Oklahoma Memorial Foundation has donated to the School for the Deaf before--in 1988 and 2001. They amounted to new computers and a weight-lifting system for their gym.

The 75,000 dollars will accomplish about half of this project, the school is hoping for other donations to fund the rest.

Chelsea Hover, KTEN News.

Copyright ©, 1999-2005 KTEN. All Rights Reserved.

+------------------------------------------------------
Do not forward this news/information. Tell your friends to subscribe directly to USA-L News at http://www.deaftimes.com

A public service of Creative Designers. Copyright 2005.

This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. If you wish to reprint this article, you are hereby required to obtain copyright permission from the publisher of the article, not USA-L News.

Deaf Times is not responsible for the content of USA-L News.
+------------------------------------------------------