Buddy Up for Life Dallas

Buddy Up Tennis began over a decade ago in Columbus, Ohio with a mother, a son and two determined coaches. The Buddy Up for Life program now boasts 25 locations across the country.

Our primary vehicle is a high-energy, 90-minute weekly fitness and tennis clinic for kids and adults with Down syndrome, pairing each Athlete with Down syndrome with a volunteer Buddy. All activities are overseen by specially trained tennis Coaches. Athletes, Buddies and Coaches work together as a team to have fun, foster friendships, build confidence and develop life skills both on and off the court!

Dallas had the largest launch in the organization's history in March 2019. When the pandemic hit in March 2020, we moved to a virtual and one-on-one model for the safety of our Athletes and Buddies. We were thrilled to return to the courts for our signature tennis clinics in September 2021, and have been building momentum ever since! We now conduct Buddy Up Tennis in the spring and fall at the beautiful tennis courts at The Episcopal School of Dallas, and move into the gym for Buddy Up Fitness in the summer and winter when the weather is not as conducive to outdoor activities. 

We currently have 130 registered Athletes and over 600 registered volunteer Buddies!

Buddy Up Tennis was recognized as Best of Texas Tennis 2022 and 2023 for Adaptive Program by the USTA.

Our Needs

We have an ongoing need to refresh equipment (i.e.. rackets, t-shirts, low compression tennis balls, special fitness equipment, etc.) and administrative supplies. 

We are also seeking scholarship support for our nominal fees so that we never have to turn a qualified Athlete away, especially in these times of high inflation. 

To ensure that our local Coaches and Buddies are up-to-date on the latest adaptive programming and techniques, we also fund training visits from the Buddy Up for Life Program Director and his team of Coaches, as well as travel expenses for any of our new Dallas Coaches to train at the national headquarters in Columbus. 

We gratefully acknowledge our local partners, The Down Syndrome Guild of Dallas, The Sandlot Children's Charity, and Tennis Competitors of Dallas.