Every Friday evening, officers from the Boston Police Department get a break from patrolling the streets and play tennis with kids for two hours at Sportsmen’s Tennis & Enrichment Center, just off of Blue Hill Avenue near Franklin Field.

The facility’s Volley Against Violence (VAV) community outreach program started 15 years ago and is still going strong with dozens of kids, teens, and cops participating each week with help from the Boston Police Community Tennis Association.

The free program targets youths ages 5-16.

Craig Underwood, a longtime volunteer coach, still marvels at the connections he sees developing.

“I came here, and I saw all these beautiful kids running in and hugging police officers and I thought, ‘Our country needs more of this,’” he said. “I think one of the things the kids learn is that adults care about them. A major goal of the program is to have the kids and the police officers interact.”

Kaniesha Johnson Palmer (left) is a parent volunteer who spent the night on the court playing with her daughter Semaj. Cassidy McNeeley photos

He added: “Before VAV, a lot of the police officers would say the only time that they were with a child, they were either a victim or perpetrator and not just a kid. Here they get to be kids.”

The curriculum is centered around five core tenets: respect, effort, self-direction, helping, and transference. 

“We learn best from and about one another when we do so in a casual setting,” explained Toni Wiley, the CEO at Sportsmen’s. “It’s one thing for us to try and explain how police officers work to keep us safe, how our own actions contribute to maintaining peace and cooperation in our communities, and how best to communicate with people from different walks of life. A better option is to create an environment where learning happens organically, trust is developed, and communications styles and protocols are understood.”

That learning begins as soon as the children take the court. Once everyone is checked in, lead officer Dale Kennedy identifies the weekly topic and welcomes the children and teens with warm-ups, stretching, and affirmations. 

Sisters Adaolisa (right) and Chimara (left) took a break from freeze tag to smile for the camera. Their two older brothers also attend VAV on Friday nights.

With the children circled around him, Kennedy asks, “Who’s the most important person in the world?” and “Who can be whatever they want to be?” In between toe touches, squats, and lunges, the children shout back, “I am!” 

Said Kennedy, a Dot native and officer at C-11: “My opinion is [given] how the world is moving now and how people are being raised, it’s good to remind the youth and young adults that you can be whatever you want to be, you can do whatever you want to do,”

Before starting his policing career in Fields Corner, Kennedy served as a cadet at C-6 in South Boston. There he met Officer Frank Williams, who had established the VAV partnership with Sportsmen’s. When Williams invited him to play tennis on a Friday night, the new cadet was hesitant, but that quickly changed. 

“Since the day he dragged me here, I came every week. Every Friday I helped him out, saw how he did things, saw how he operated, how he gave these kids somebody to look up to and come to and talk to,” said Kennedy, now 27. “As they got to know me, I became the same for them.”

He added: “Over time I fell in love with it. After a long day or week of being a cop, this is the good part of being a cop. You get to come here, interact with the kids, tell them they can do whatever they want to do.”

When Williams retired, Kennedy happily took over the program. He says he can’t think of a better way to spend the evening. 

After warmups and affirmations, the 50-plus participants are divided by age and spread out across four courts, where they spend the majority of the night playing tennis-based games and activities that aren’t only fun but also emphasize teamwork and problem-solving skills. 

Around 7:20 p.m. the games end and Kennedy asks the kids to help clean up. The youth are then divided up once again and have small group discussions with their parents and the volunteer officers.

“The circle discussion is different topics every week. It can be from current events to talking about what’s going on at school,” said Officer Allan Kelley, who works at the Area B-3 Community Service Office. “It’s always something positive at the end to leave them with a positive message. The treat of the night is after they all get to eat pizza and the parents don’t have to cook dinner when they get home.”

Kelley doesn’t just volunteer, her also brings along his daughter Savannah, who is 6. “Her tennis skills have gotten really good. She went from not being able to hit a ball, to hitting a ball. She’s met a lot of friends here and she just enjoys coming here,” Kelley said. “I recommend this for any kid. It’s good they get the opportunity to meet officers while they’re playing tennis and not at a 911 call.”

A lot of the kids who participate agree.

Abdul James has brought two nieces, 10 and 7 years old, and a nephew, 5, to the program for the last three years. “When we come here, they can’t wait,” said James. “Right after school, they start counting the time. From 3:30 to [6 p.m.] They just want to keep coming back, that’s how excited they are.”

James is happy the kids have fun but he is also pleased to see them become better communicators and listeners.

Kate Mitchell Balla, who is married to Sportsman’s director of tennis, Marton Balla, brings along her kids, too. They “come here for other programs during the week, but VAV is just a very different thing,” said the mother of three. “It’s all ages, which is really fun. You see people show up here from all different programs, the police are here, and different volunteers show up. It’s just a fun way for the kids to feel connected to the broader community in ways that don’t necessarily happen on a day-to-day business.”

The two hours on the court are special, but it’s what happens beyond the facility that matters most, Kennedy said.

“Myself and my partner, there have been times when we’re patrolling or I’m sitting at an intersection and I would see one of the kids,” he said. “It’s a good feeling that they’re not nervous or scared to approach me.”