A group of tennis moms have partnered with the San Joaquin Valley Tennis Academy Future Stars 2000s program.

Lori Little and Lori Adams of The Lori’s & Co. of PMZ Real Estate have spearheaded a tennis ball donation drive in hopes of growing the game locally and encouraging an active lifestyle.

The Lori’s had some help bringing the charity drive to life.

Lisa Boone, Trina Ramsey and Erin Nussbaumer, parents of Future Stars players who reside in Manteca, Salida and the Lathrop areas, have also joined the campaign.

The idea was inspired by Tina Lazzereschi, the marketing and listing director for The Lori’s & Co. Lazzereschi’s 7-year-old son, Lance Eastman, is a member of the Futures Stars program.

“Lori Adams and Lori Little encourage their team to get involved in community programs and I took that to heart,” Lazzereschi said. “… When I talked to them about doing a tennis ball drive, they were 100 percent on board. In fact the whole team was excited from the word go.”

“They are from all over the region and have children in our program,” said Frank Fontana of the Future Stars. “They saw the need for some equipment and they were willing to start doing some fundraisers for us.

“They will be doing a tennis ball drive for us and there will be some other fundraisers in the future, maybe early next year.”

The donation drive will continue through Oct. 31, and people are encouraged to donate new cans or cases of tennis balls. All donations and other proceeds will be used by the non-profit organization to help with expenses.

Those interested are encouraged to drop off their donations at The Lori’s & Co. of PMZ at 1600 West Yosemite, Suite 100, during regular business hours.

“Tennis is a fantastic sport for people of all ages,” Little said, “and we’d love to see tennis grow here in our area. Tennis is a great way to meet new people and build friendships.”

Added Adams: “It’s also a great opportunity for local children and teens to get fit.”

The Manteca Tennis Center on North Union Road is home to the Future Stars, an organization dedicated to the growth and promotion of tennis in the North San Joaquin Valley. The program’s player development and mentoring program is offered for kids ages 5 to 17.

“The Future Stars is a year-round program,” Fontana concluded. “The summer is our biggest time of year and we also have a year-round travel team. This last summer we had the most players participate in summer tennis than we ever have.

“These donations will also be helping us purchase equipment and increase our travel component of our classes.”