Because Every Child Belongs

USTA Mid-Atlantic Section is on a mission to make tennis the most accessible sport in the region by helping people and communities grow stronger, healthier, and more connected through tennis. Our goal is to bring tennis to all, especially children, in the Mid-Atlantic.

Thanks to you and your gift your tax-deductible donation directly supports increased access to tennis in the Mid-Atlantic through our programs, such as our Youth After School and Summer Camp Tennis Program, our Safe Places to Play Facility Assistance Program and our Junior Competition Scholarship.

This year we continue to invest in the next generation by teaching children the benefits of the sport. Tennis is a lifetime sport and our After School and Summer Camp Programs teach tennis to those that may not have the opportunity to play or learn the game elsewhere. We are building a foundation for children to live a healthy life and to learn character skills that they will use for years to come. Watch this video to learn about our program and how, together, we can put a racquet in the hands of more children…because every child belongs.

Make a tax-deductible donation today to support USTA Mid-Atlantic’s charitable programs.

After School Tennis Reaches More Kids Than Ever

“My son was interested in tennis but not a huge fan. After attending the [USTA Mid-Atlantic’s] TGA program after school, he is a FAN! He wants me to sign him up for classes over the summer so he’s ready for next year’s after school program! Thank you for lighting this fire under him and getting him enthused about something other than his iPad!” – Amy K.

This is a real testimonial submitted to USTA Mid-Atlantic from a mother of a child that participated in our after school tennis program, called TGA Premier Youth Tennis, in Prince William County, Va. This quote exemplifies the objective of our program and our vision – to introduce all children to tennis and to inspire a passion for healthy, active lifestyles through the sport that will last a lifetime.

Since 2016, we’ve had more than 15,000 youth participate in our programs and learn a sport they may not otherwise have had the chance to try. Consider the fact that during 2018, on average 17 percent of children age 6 to 12 engaged in NO sport activity¹.

We are actively combating this trend!

Thanks to the support of generous donations, our after school and summer camp tennis program continues to grow and see significant success engaging local youth with the healthy, and positive benefits tennis provides.

This fall alone, our after school tennis programs held more than 200 sessions with more than 5,000 registered. This is more registrations in our program than we had in all of 2018, and 2019 is on track to have a 41 percent increase (or more) in registrations compared to last year – that is A LOT of kids playing tennis and having fun with the sport.

When you give, you help support the impact we can have through our programs. Here are a few highlights of the successes from the fall season of the USTA Mid-Atlantic after school tennis program:

Anne Arundel, Md.:

Thanks to a generous donation from the Anne Arundel County Tennis Association (AACTA), a scholarship was offered to Lindale Middle School for after school tennis. The scholarship provided a six-week tennis program and racquets to 14 students.

Arlington, Va.:

Fleet Elementary School was the first after school tennis program offered in this area of Northern Virginia and the program was completely full.

Fairfax, Va.:

Four elementary school programs achieved all-time high registrations including Charles Barrett Elementary School (45 students), Aldrin Elementary School (25 students), Fort Hunt Elementary (26 students) and Belvedere Elementary School (22 students).

Howard County, Md.:

Tennis after school programs held in the county had more than 700 registrations in the fall season alone, which is the highest of all of our areas offering programs.

Loudoun County, Va.:

Fall tennis after school program registrations grew by 18 percent compared to last year and programs were introduced at three new elementary schools in the county.

Prince William County, Va.:

The fall season marked the highest single season participation in tennis after school programs with 272, and overall participation has increased 15.8 percent compared to this time last year.

Richmond, Va.:

After school tennis at Woolridge Elementary set a record for the most kids – 81 – participating in the calendar year.

West Virginia:

For the 2019 calendar year, programs in West Virginia had 700 registrations, setting a new record and at North Elementary School, 70 students went through the after school tennis program during the year – also setting a new record for participation!

We depend on continued support to achieve such significant growth and reach even more children, especially those in underserved areas of our region. No matter the circumstances we want EVERY CHILD to play tennis and we remain committed to subsidizing costs to make it happen. Tax-deductible donations help us give more kids the chance to play.

You can make a difference and make sure that the next generation gains the benefits, and fun, of tennis. Give today, especially before the end of 2019, so that your gift to USTA Mid-Atlantic Section can be part of the $10,000 match being made by an anonymous donor.

USTA Mid-Atlantic Section, Inc. is an exempt organization as described in Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code; EIN 54-1472806. All donations made to USTA Mid-Atlantic Section Inc. are tax deductible to the fullest extent of the law.

2019 Sport & Fitness Industry Association Sports, Fitness, And Leisure Activities Topline Participation Report.

Schools in Mid-Atlantic Select Tennis as New After School Program

USTA Mid-Atlantic’s tennis after school program, TGA Premier Youth Tennis, introduces the lifelong sport of tennis to children through fun and enriching experiences. Our programs provide a pathway to a positive outlet and teach children vital skills and a sport they can play for life.

Since 2016, we’ve been introducing youth to tennis through after school programs and have had more than 10,000 in participation. We are able to offer the after school tennis program at reduced rates for students and their families because USTA Mid-Atlantic is committed to subsidizing the program so that more children can participate. Generous donations help us bring more tennis programs to students and schools all across the region.

We are excited to partner with several new schools this fall to offer tennis after school programs. In all of these programs, many children will learn tennis for the very first time and will begin to play – hopefully for a lifetime. Not only that, when schools partner with us to offer tennis we are proud to give back directly from our program to support the school with scholarships and incentives that helps their students, teachers and local families.

You can help us bring tennis programs to more local students and schools when you make a tax-deductible donation to USTA Mid-Atlantic. In fact, just $100.74 can support ONE new student to join in an after school tennis program.

We are proud to launch new after school tennis programs in the following schools and community locations:

Anne Arundel, Md.

Lindale Middle School

Fairfax County and Arlington, Va.

Fleet Elementary School (Arlington)
Jewish Community Center of Northern VA
Faircrest Community HOA
Liberty Middle School

Howard County, Md.

Longfellow Elementary School
Hammond Middle School
Mayfield Woods Middle School

USTA Mid-Atlantic is growing tennis after school for middle school students. Read more about the impact of these programs.

Loudoun County, Va.

Moorefield Station Elementary School
Discovery Elementary School

Prince William County, Va.

Coles Elementary School
Westridge Elementary School
Hylton High School

Richmond, Va.

Clover Hill Elementary School
Spring Run Elementary School

As these programs get underway, children will learn how healthy, active lifestyles can be fun and they’ll gain character-building skills that will benefit them for years to come.

It is through the love of tennis we can change lives together. You can be part of this great change and help us deliver more after school and summer camp tennis programs to ALL children in the Mid-Atlantic. Make a tax-deductible donation today.

Tennis Obsession in Middle Schools in the Mid-Atlantic

When you are a middle-schooler there are lots of different things to be obsessed with: the latest fashion trend, that post on social media, the hottest music, hilarious memes and so much more that dominate the world of tweens and teens of today. For some middle-schoolers in the Mid-Atlantic region, they are adding a different obsession to their list – tennis.

As thousands of children participate in USTA Mid-Atlantic youth after school tennis in elementary schools and progress through the program, many are taking their tennis skills with them into middle school. And many middle-schoolers are finding their love for tennis for the first time too. That’s why USTA Mid-Atlantic, a non-profit organization, began after school tennis in area middle schools to introduce the sport to more kids, and give those that have been playing an outlet to continue to pursue their game. It is fundamental to the mission of USTA Mid-Atlantic to offer programs such as these and, thanks to the support of donations, it enables us to offer them in a way that reduces barriers and makes tennis more accessible to all kids.

middle-school-club-320x195 In one local middle school in Loudoun County, Va., participants in the after school tennis program saw a new potential in themselves they never knew existed. Week after week, their tennis skills improved and they were becoming more confident in their game, so much so they set a goal to get to the next level – the high school tennis team.

But to do that, they knew they would need to work hard and take their practice further.

With the encouragement of their after school tennis coaches and USTA Mid-Atlantic, they created their own tennis club team. So far, more than 65 middle school youth have participated in the middle school tennis club.

The club meets on Sundays for two hours and the focus is advancing the kids’ fundamentals of tennis strokes followed by team activities and matches. This allows the participants to bridge the gap between their learn-to-play experience and competition in a fun, low-pressure setting.

And the work is paying off.

Some of the middle school club members had the confidence to enter their first entry level USTA Junior Tournament this past spring, several practiced throughout the summer on a weekly basis, and some have continued to hone their skills with additional lessons.

New shirts for the USTA Mid-Atlantic middle school club team

And now with school back in session, the club is practicing regularly. Recently this fall, 18 tennis club players from two different middle schools played each other in a friendly round robin competition in both singles and doubles matches. Using their improved skills from all the practice sessions, they were able to complete matches and see all their hard work come together in real match play experiences. At the end of the day, the players and coaches talked about the highs and lows of match play and shared best practices with their biggest takeaway – you must get your serve in! They celebrated their success with new team t-shirts and popsicles; a perfect ending to a good day on the tennis court.

For all of the middle school tennis club participants, learning the sport and playing in a team setting is proving to be a powerful experience that is inspiring them to do more and to discover a new talent, maybe even an obsession, with tennis.

USTA Mid-Atlantic wants to bring the power of tennis to more middle school students and children all across our region this school year through after school programs, but we need help to make this happen.

As the school year is just getting underway, your gift can make an immediate difference. Importantly, you can double your gift when you give thanks to an anonymous donor matching all donations up to $10,000 in 2019.

You can help change lives through the power of the USTA Mid-Atlantic after school tennis program. Give today.

After School Tennis in Title 1 Schools

Belvedere Elementary School* in Fairfax, Va., is a Title 1 school with 660 students in grades K-5 and more than 60 percent of the student body on the free and reduced meal program. Belvedere supports a diverse population representing 29 countries of origin and speaking 31 different languages in the home.

USTA Mid-Atlantic Section was excited to partner with the school and their parent volunteers to bring our after school tennis program to students. As we delivered the new program, our coaches were able to see firsthand the power of tennis in this school.

In its first year, the after school tennis program was so successful with both the fall and spring sessions completely full! The students loved it! Not only that, tennis after school brought the diverse student population together and helped create camaraderie among the students while engaging in a new sport.

We are able to offer the after school tennis program at reduced rates for students and their families because USTA Mid-Atlantic is committed to subsidizing the program so that more children can participate. But we need help to ensure that we can keep doing this.

Your tax-deductible gift of $100.74 covers the cost to provide equipment, a high-quality curriculum, and instruction for one child in the program. USTA Mid-Atlantic provides all of this so participants just need to come ready to play and have fun.

The PTA parent coordinators at Belvedere shared the following feedback about the program:

“We were so thrilled to add USTA Mid-Atlantic tennis to our after school classes this past school year because we really liked the curriculum. We felt like all the children – no matter their background – would be equals through tennis. And that’s just what we saw; playing tennis became the common ground and brought students closer together. They learned sportsmanship and life skills through the USTA Mid-Atlantic after school tennis program, all while being active and having fun.”

Belvedere is one of 45 Title 1 elementary schools in Fairfax County. Of those 45 Title 1 schools in Fairfax County, there are only three schools with the USTA Mid-Atlantic after school tennis program. We want to change these numbers for the 2019-2020 school year and need your support to do so.

Increased funding will allow us to provide more after school tennis programs so that other schools like Belvedere can offer their students the opportunity to benefit from the positive impact of tennis both in Fairfax County and across the Mid-Atlantic region.

We cannot do it alone and now, as the school year is just getting underway, your gift can make an immediate difference. Importantly, you can double your gift when you give thanks to an anonymous donor matching all donations up to $10,000 in 2019.

Tennis brings the power of opportunity; The ability to learn a lifelong sport; The benefit of physical and mental learning; The chance to have FUN. Thank you for your support.

* Fairfax County Public Schools does not specifically endorse nor condemn the solicitation of this blog.