Samantha Crouch

Day 20 Fundraiser update 🎉🎾

This challenge is flying by, and I’m so excited to share that after 20 days, I have now hit…

🏆 6,292 tennis balls!
🎯 Only 1,232 left to go
📅 11 days remaining

We are in the home stretch now! 🙌🏻🎉

Here’s what the last few days have looked like:

🎾 Day 14

Tennis lesson day is always a great day in this challenge! I arrived early and hit 92 balls on the wall before my lesson. As always, it’s hard to keep count during the lesson, so I conservatively estimated 300 balls.
Total: 392

🎾 Day 15

A very busy day with no chance to fit in any tennis, so I took a break.
Total: 0

🎾 Day 16

It was so nice to have Jeremy home again! We hit together while the girls had their lessons, and then I finished with some wall practice.
218 with Jeremy + 202 on the wall.
Total: 420

🎾 Day 17

My husband is truly a saint for his patience and encouragement through this challenge. We hit together, then he helped me work on my serve (definitely the weakest part of my game so far!).
251 together + 52 serves + 115 on the wall.
Total: 418

🎾 Day 18

The girls were not interested in the tennis playground, so I improvised!
211 hits on the tennis trainer in the street, plus 139 bedroom drills.
Total: 350

🎾 Day 19

Even while injured, Jeremy still came out to hit with me. We made it to 255 balls before one of our children required an early finish.
Total: 255

🎾 Day 20

It was another full and busy day with no chance to get to the courts, so at 9pm it was time for bedroom tennis drills with Jeremy once again. Not exactly Wimbledon Centre Court… but it got the job done! 😂🎾

Total: 269

💛 Thank you so much to everyone who has donated and encouraged me so far. Your support means the world to me.

I can’t believe I am only $56 away from my initial fundraising goal! I’m so blown away!

If you haven’t donated yet and would like to, there is still time!! I would be so grateful! With just 1,232 balls left to go, the finish line is well and truly in sight! 🎾🙌🏻💛

🎾 Halfway There! Fundraiser Update – Day 13 🎾

When I started this challenge, I honestly had no idea whether hitting 7,524 tennis balls in May would be achievable as a beginner tennis player.

Now, 13 days in, I’m excited to share that I’ve hit…

🏆 4,188 tennis balls!
🎯 3,336 left to go
📅 18 days remaining

We are officially over halfway there! 🙌🏻🎉

Here’s how the last week has looked:

🎾 Day 7

My usual tennis lesson day! I hit 80 balls on the wall before my lesson, and although it was impossible to count during the lesson, I conservatively estimated 300 hits.
Total: 380

🎾 Day 8

Jeremy was home late, so it was another solo wall session. I made it to 331 hits before one of the kids urgently needed the bathroom… and of course, there were no public toilets nearby 😅
Total: 331

🎾 Day 9

Jeremy and I hit together while the girls had their lessons, and for the first time I really felt how much I’ve improved.
311 hits with Jeremy, plus 142 on the wall.
Total: 453

🤕 Day 10

Mother’s Day brought a massive migraine, and I simply couldn’t focus on a bright yellow tennis ball.
Rest Day

🎾 Day 11

One thing I hadn’t considered when planning this fundraiser was that Jeremy would be away for a week! That means more solo sessions. After school drop-off, it was me and the wall again.
Total: 505

🎾 Day 12

Thank goodness for wonderful friends! We had a playdate after school so I could get my hits in while she kept an eye on the kids.
Total: 265

🎾 Day 13

The girls are definitely over the “tennis playground,” so it was back to bedroom drills!
Total: 300

This challenge has shown me how much consistency pays off. Just two weeks ago, I could only manage a few consecutive shots on the wall. Now I’m regularly building long rallies and seeing real improvement.

💛 Thank you so much to everyone who has donated and encouraged me so far. Your support means more than you know.

If you haven’t donated yet and would like to support this fundraiser, I would be incredibly grateful. Every ball I hit reminds me of another parent/carer who will be helped from the support of a Chaplain. Every donation is helping make a difference and motivating me to keep going all the way to 7,524 balls! 🎾🙌🏻💛

🎾 Day 6 Fundraiser Update 🎾

To reach my goal of 7,524 tennis balls in May, I need to hit at least 243 balls every single day… and let’s just say, as a beginner, I had no idea what I was getting myself into 😅

Here’s how it’s been going so far…

Day 1 – Of course it was Winslow’s birthday 🎉 which meant a FULL day… so at 9:30pm it was me and Jeremy doing forehand/backhand bounce drills and volleys across our bedroom 😂
Total: 253

Day 2 – While the girls had their lesson, Jeremy and I smashed out mini tennis, volleys, full court hits… then I backed it up with 264 hits on the wall 💪
Total: 414

Day 3 – This one was tough. The tennis was NOT tennis-ing 😅 but with a very patient husband, we got there in the end!
Total: 253

Day 4 – Tried Cardio Tennis and LOVED it! Lost count, but conservatively calling it 300 hits (probably more!), plus 150 on the wall 🙌
Total: 450

Day 5 – The wall and I are officially becoming friends! The improvement from just a few days of consistency is actually wild 🤯
Total: 284

Day 6 – Today… did not go to plan 😅
Tried one court ❌ closed
Tried another ❌ no net, no wall
Couldn’t drag the kids around again… so tonight it’s me, myself, and my bedroom drills again 😂
Goal: 300 balls

This challenge is stretching me in more ways than one, but I just keep reminding myself about every parent and carer out there who could benefit from the support of a chaplain and it helps me keep going. 

💛 A huge THANK YOU to everyone who has already donated – your support honestly means so much.

If you haven’t yet and would like to support, I’d be so grateful! Every donation is cheering me on to keep going (even when I’m volleying in my bedroom at night 😄)

7524 Tennis Balls in the month of May! Why?

Throughout the month of May, I’ll be hitting 7,524 tennis balls to raise funds for YouthCARE, the organisation I work for as a chaplain at Merriwa Education Support Centre.

The number 7,524 represents the incredible number of support sessions chaplains provided to parents and carers throughout 2025. Supporting families is something I care deeply about in my role within an Education Support Centre. I believe schools should be a safe and welcoming place not only for students, but also for parents and carers — a place where they feel heard, supported, and encouraged.

Families raising a child with a disability often carry many unseen challenges and pressures. I truly believe that when we support the whole family, we create the best opportunity for a child to thrive. School chaplains play an important role in this journey by offering practical support, referrals, and often a listening ear — helping families feel understood and reminding them they are not alone.

I chose tennis for this fundraiser because I recently started taking lessons myself as a way to prioritise my own wellbeing. As an NDIS mum, I know how easy it is to spend all of your energy caring for everyone else. Tennis has become something I can consistently do just for me — a space to recharge, move my body, and look after my own mental wellbeing.

I believe it’s important to practise what I encourage in others. I don’t want to simply tell people to take care of themselves; I want to model what that can look like too. This fundraiser is not only about supporting families through chaplaincy, but also about recognising the importance of wellbeing for those who spend so much of their time caring for others.

By supporting this fundraiser, you’ll be helping chaplains continue to walk alongside families when they need it most.