Copyright © 2016. No duplication is permitted without permission from Bob Larson Tennis.

Tennis superstar Serena Williams and Rogers Cup Tournament Director Karl Hale put their rackets down and picked up hammers to service and fulfill critical education needs in Jamaica.

Serena’s Serena Williams Fund and Karl’s Helping Hands Jamaica Foundation collaborated with their teams and had 25 volunteers to build a school.  Former Heavyweight Champion Lennox Lewis, Hip Hop and Reggae Superstars Sean Paul and Shaggy, Gold Medalist Yohan Blake and Warren Weir and MLS MVP Dwayne Derosario were all on hand supporting the effort.

Williams is donating the funds to build the school and was on-site hammering away February 8-9 for the 80 preschool children who will subsequently have access to free education.

Rogers Cup tournament director Karl Hale, founder of Helping Hands Jamaica Foundation, spoke to Williams last year about building a school in Jamaica.

“Serena is a true global citizen and her impact here in Jamaica will further the education of the youth in Jamaica for generations to come,” Karl said.

Salt Marsh Infant School will be built in Trelawny, a rural parish east of Montego Bay. Older students currently attend classes at the primary school, and this new infant school for children ages 3 to 6 will offer local children a government funded education. The new building is on the site of the primary school, easing the transition from infant to primary school.

Over the last 5 years, Helping Hands Jamaica Foundation has built 11 schools in Jamaica.

Williams is the founder of the Serena Williams Fund, which helps “individuals and communities affected by senseless violence, and promoting equal access to education” and provides college scholarships to students in the United States.

Copyright © 2016. No duplication is permitted without permission from Bob Larson Tennis.