Inclusive Fun on the Tennis Court

Meet Daily Point of Light Award honoree Rex Dover. Read his story, and nominate an outstanding volunteer or family as a Daily Point of Light.

Music, tennis and volunteer service. Those are the things 17-year-old Rex Dover is focusing on as he enters his last summer before graduation. There’s always music playing when he’s around, either a favorite artist’s or his own. He plays the guitar and piano, and he writes and sings his own lyrics.

Tennis has been in the mix since he was 4 years old, when his parents discovered clinics for kids at a nearby court and enrolled their three sons. They loved it, and during his sophomore year on the school team, Rex and one of his brothers won the state doubles tournament. He made it to the finals with another partner just this year.

Rex also likes helping people, which is why in 2021, after losing a family friend, the brothers decided to combine the interests they shared to create Belmont Abilities Tennis, the only teen-led chapter of the organization in North Carolina. Every Sunday, Rex and volunteer coaches lead one-to-one, hour-long adaptive tennis sessions for around 20 athletes with intellectual disabilities of all ages. They stretch, play games, run drills, build friendships, etc. And since his brothers went to college last year, Rex has been running things solo.

He has recruited and trained more than 50 student volunteers and inspired tennis organizations from surrounding Hickory and Charlotte to replicate his program model in their own chapters. In the summer, he has also given free private lessons at the request of enthusiastic athletes, further demonstrating how meaningful inclusivity is to those often left sitting on the sideline.

What inspires you to volunteer?

I was a little boy when I started with Meals on Wheels with my mom. It was my first venture into service. We’d drive around and deliver meals to homebound senior citizens and other homebound people. I always saw the impact that had on other people.

What inspired you to get started with this initiative?

My brothers and I played tennis with a friend named Matthew Lu. In 2019, we were at his birthday party at a trampoline park, and he fell off the rock-climbing wall and hit his head. He died the day after. After that tragedy, we nominated him for the USTA Sportsmanship Award, and he ended up receiving that posthumously.

At the banquet where we were accepting the award on his behalf, I met Lou Welch, who is the Executive Director of the Abilities Tennis Association of North Carolina. She told me all about her program, and we thought it would be a great thing to do in Matthew’s honor, because he was always so caring for others. We wanted to carry on his legacy.

Tell us about your volunteer role with Belmont Abilities Tennis.

We hold two eight-week sessions per year, one in the fall and one in the spring. I help find athletes with intellectual disabilities to come to our clinics by conducting outreach to organizations like the Special Needs Community Initiative of Gastonia. My main role is as a coach. I’m also there to maintain a safe, inclusive environment for everyone to play in, because a lot of people with intellectual disabilities have a hard time feeling included socially.

I teach volunteers how to coach before sessions begin. We usually have around 12 volunteers on the court with different jobs. Some pick up balls. Some coach, and some are just there to give the athletes a safe space to thrive socially.

I have some help, but I do most of the organizing work myself—securing court reservations, writing grant proposals, coordinating with city parks and recreation staff, managing our Facebook pageand other tasks. We post a signup to enlist volunteers before each session, and it fills up quickly.

How have you seen the program benefit athletes?

The main thing is the social aspect. They’re so excited to come out. They’ll sprint from their cars out onto the tennis court. That’s the best thing to watch.

It also gives them an outing for some exercise, which many don’t have. Everyone is very invested and loves playing. One of our athletes was even selected as manager of the high school team.

What’s been the most rewarding part of your work?

The most rewarding part has been hearing from the parents and athletes how much they adore our program. Some of the athletes have asked me for private lessons in the summer. I’ve done that a lot, and we’ve gotten to connect on a deeper level.

One of the most memorable moments was the US Open’s USTA Net Generation Experience.
Each year, the USTA sends an organization that is serving the tennis community to the US Open. Abilities Tennis of North Carolina was selected last year, so each chapter in the state could nominate one athlete, and 25 would go.

My athlete was chosen, so he and I were able to go to the US Open for a day. We went to all the matches, and then he got to play at Arthur Ashe Stadium on the center court. It was such a fun experience for everyone involved. It was very rewarding to see his excitement.

What have you learned through your experiences as a volunteer?

I’ve learned how to train people with intellectual disabilities. I’ve also realized that people with intellectual disabilities are a big part of the population, and they’re very underrepresented. There aren’t many opportunities for them to do things that people without intellectual disabilities would do, so it’s important to create them.

Why is it important for others to get involved with causes they care about?

It’s important to get involved because of how underserved a lot of people are. It’s hard to see how little others have until you go out and try to help them.

What do you want people to learn from your story?

I want people to know how fulfilling service is. It’s so rewarding seeing how much joy this brings to people.

Do you want to make a difference in your community like Rex? Find local volunteer opportunities.