Raising the money was coordinated by ATC President Rosalie Escamilla and an initial goal of $20,000 was established. A plea to tennis club members was blasted out like an Andy Roddick serve, and the members smashed a Serena Williams return down the line: 66 families and individuals donated funds to the project, as well as ten businesses, two cities (Ione and Jackson), a significant anonymous donation and several community organizations, including funds from the Amador Tennis Club’s Junior Team Tennis program. Other organizations included the Jackson Lions Club, Amador Kiwanis Club, American Legion Post 108, Jackson Police Activities League, the “Men’s Morning Tennis group” and the Amador Community Foundation.

The Amador Community Foundation, established in 2000 to connect “local generosity with local needs,” made it clear from the outset that it was interested in helping, but drove the club to achieve a high level of community match to stretch its funding further. The flexibility of the Foundation to allow the club to keep its grant application open until the very end allowed it to confidently set a project start date with its contractor while reaching out to everyone that truly made this a community project.

Another key component of the fundraising drive involved a “pledge per set” program with the Argonaut High School tennis team. Thanks to the success of their undefeated Mother Lode League championship season, the team was responsible for raising over $2,000 towards this effort. Some of the players also participated in the club’s fundraising tournament held in March that raised over $1,000 on a weekend of perfect weather between the many wet days of spring.

The initial project goal of $20,000 was based on informal quotes, but when ATC contractor coordinator David Ferguson researched crack repairs, he found better methods than simply filling cracks and painting over them. The “Rite Way” patch system that will be incorporated into the project includes a three year warranty that should provide many more useful years of tennis play at the courts. The last major work at Argonaut was a complete resurfacing in 1996 at a cost of over $40,000.

The ATC Board presented the final project recommendation to the ACUSD School Board on June 9th and received the unanimous support of the Board. Although the District is unable to provide any funds due to fiscal constraints, the staff at Argonaut High School and District officials were extremely cooperative and appreciative of the club’s efforts. All in all, this project is yet another testament to the community spirit and generosity of Amador County, from individuals to organizations to businesses to local government. The members of the Amador Tennis Club are grateful and ready for many more years of this “sport of a lifetime.”