The Yonkers Tennis Center is making sure kids across the city are getting a chance to pick up and a racket and learn the game.

The center hosted a fundraiser Friday night for the Coach Pat Project, a program named after one of their coaches, Pat Rogers, who passed away from cancer.

Their goal is to bring the sport of tennis to young students in Yonkers Public Schools, none of which have tennis teams. Pat Rogers did his part to try and bring the game to Yonkers.

"He used to go to different Yonkers Public Schools and teach them tennis," says Alexa Goldberg, of the Yonkers Tennis Center.

Those who came out to play helped raise money to buy rackets and equipment so the center can visit more schools.

"We're providing the rackets, we're providing the balls, we're providing the space for them. When you think of tennis you think you have to go to a club, you have to get a tennis racket, you have to pay for all these things. And we're giving all that to the kids and we're providing them with that," says Goldberg.

Those who work at the center say the project's purpose is to teach kids that tennis is a game they can play anytime, anywhere. And it offers up real-life skills, too.

"Discipline, focus, staying engaged ... especially in doubles, working with another person," says Barbara Penge, a player at the Yonkers Tennis Center.