Tag: donate to tennis

After School Program Sparks Love for Tennis

USTA Mid-Atlantic Section partnered  with Belvedere Elementary School in Fairfax County, Va., to introduce tennis as a brand new after school program during the 2018-2019 school year. The program was met with incredible enthusiasm and both the fall and spring sessions were completely full. Many children picked up a tennis racquet and began learning the sport for the first time. 

While tennis brought the student population together and helped create camaraderie through learning a new sport together, one student in particular had an experience that’s proving to be even more meaningful than expected.

Maryn P., joined the USTA Mid-Atlantic Section’s after school tennis program at Belvedere Elementary last school year and according to her mom Jaana, it has opened up a whole new love of sport – especially tennis – for the young girl. 

“I am so glad that tennis is offered as an after school activity at Belvedere Elementary here in Fairfax, Va! My husband and I very much enjoy playing tennis and really wanted our daughter Maryn to learn the sport too but didn’t know how to get her started,” explained Jaana. 

“We were very thankful for tennis to be offered after school so she can learn the basics and that she could do it with other kids from school.  We thought it would be a great start, and more fun than just us [teaching her],” she added. 

As a non-profit organization, USTA Mid-Atlantic aims to make tennis the most accessible sport in the region and one way we do that is by providing high-quality after school tennis programs with the support of donations. We want all people, especially children to experience the benefits of tennis, a lifelong sport, so they can develop skills and healthy habits that will pay dividends for years to come.  

For Jaana, the USTA Mid-Atlantic after school tennis program has sparked an excitement in Maryn for the sport that has been enjoyable to see blossom, and doors to new opportunities are opening.  

“I think the after school tennis program has really sparked an interest with Maryn.  She was interested in watching Wimbledon this year, and we even went to the kids day at the Citi Open tournament, which we wouldn’t have known about if it wasn’t for the USTA Mid-Atlantic after school tennis program. Maryn really enjoyed participating in a tennis summer camp program as well. She is looking forward to playing tennis again as school starts. I’m so glad to have had the program offered so she can at least start learning the basics, and who knows where it will go from there,” Jaana said.

As for Maryn, learning a new sport has been pure fun. 

“I love learning and getting to the next level.  I was very excited to get to the red level to get a new racquet! I told my friend on the bus and now she is going to play this fall too because she also wants a racquet. I really enjoy hitting the ball back and forth- it’s fun,” she says.

USTA Mid-Atlantic is looking forward to kicking off the 2019-2020 school year of after school tennis at Belvedere Elementary and many other schools across the Mid-Atlantic region. We aim to introduce more children to tennis and spark their love of a new sport they may not have ever known. But we need to help to ensure we can succeed.

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.

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. 

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. 

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.

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. 

Make an Impact Beyond the Net

Create happier, healthier, and more active communities through tennis.

Tennis has the power to transform lives. Tennis gets you physically active and helps you stay mentally sharp. It gives you new challenges to face and a lesson learned every time you play. New friends are made and you connect with people from your community. Above all, tennis is a sport you can play your entire life.

We believe every person in the Mid-Atlantic region deserves access to the transformative power of tennis, especially children. You can help increase access to tennis and grow the sport so that more people, no matter background, location, resources, ability, can learn and play for life.

See how your support will directly influence the Mid-Atlantic tennis community.

Today, you can make an impact beyond the net! By making a tax-deductible donation you will directly impact the access to tennis in the Mid-Atlantic. And now is a better time than ever to make a tax-deductible donation because an anonymous donor will double all donations up to $10,000 for 2019!

After School Tennis Programs Reach Milestones

Since 2016, USTA Mid-Atlantic’s TGA Premier Youth Tennis after school and summer camp enrichment programs have been introducing children to the lifelong sport of tennis. The program has had more than 10,000 in participation and is delivering on the promise USTA Mid-Atlantic envisioned at the onset – every child in the region learning, and loving, tennis.

As the spring sessions come to close and the school year ends, our impact through the programs has never been more apparent. Record numbers of children are participating and interest is growing among school communities to offer tennis to students. In just the winter and spring sessions alone there have been more than 2,400 in participation – this is an increase of 38% compared to this time last year.

This is incredible growth, but what you may not realize is that we depend on generous donations to help us reach children with the benefits of tennis.

A number of our USTA Mid-Atlantic TGA Premier Youth Tennis programs had significant milestones so far this year (winter and spring sessions) and we’ve got the incredible highlights below:

  • In Howard County, Md., programs had more than 600 registrations combined which is the highest for any of our locations, ever!
  • A new program was started to serve home schooled children in Loudoun County, Va., to provide a healthy enrichment activity.
  • In Richmond, Va., 91 students – a record number – participated in tennis after school at Woodbridge Elementary.
  • Richmond also saw a record number of participants in the spring with 193 registrations.
  • A new program was started in Prince William County, Va., at Springwoods Elementary with 26 students in the first season, this is almost triple the students than usual for a new program.
  • At Barrett Elementary in Fairfax County, Va., student interest in tennis was so strong that we held three sessions during one season to serve 41 students.
  • In West Virginia, we started a new after school program at North Elementary. More than 123 participants went through at least one season which is the most from any one school!
  • Also in West Virginia, a record number of participation happened in one season across all schools served in the area with more than 350 children participating!
  • And in the Glen Oben community in Anne Arundel, Md., they’ve highlighted tennis as their “community sport” to help neighbors get more activity. The Homeowners Association has partnered with us to deliver tennis enrichment programs for their community.

With our mission in mind to promote and develop the growth of tennis and our vision to make tennis the most accessible sport in the region, we are passionate about our after school and summer camp tennis programs; through these programs, more children are introduced to the game and gain vital skills from playing the sport.

We are so committed to introducing ALL youth in the Mid-Atlantic to tennis that we offer our programs at significant discounts; provide scholarships; and deliver incentives for school communities that help remove barriers to play.  With your support, we can continue accomplishments and milestones like these every season. We can continue to put racquets in hands and change lives. We can show children how healthy, active lifestyles can be fun and we can give them gifts of life 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.

Building Relationships through Tennis

“I always tell the kids, find the joy in tennis and have fun. More fun means more tennis!”

My name is Max, and I am a coach in the USTA Mid-Atlantic Section’s after school tennis program. As a high school tennis player and certified tennis coach, I’ve always found tennis to be a special sport because it brings all types of people together. I see this happening in the USTA Mid-Atlantic’s after school tennis program too – children of all backgrounds and experience levels coming together and having fun with one another, all thanks to tennis. Let me share an example.

Recently, I was working with a larger group of children of all different ages during an after school tennis session. I observed a first grade student playing tennis with a third grade student. This was quite an accomplishment because the younger student was very shy, and had a harder time getting involved in the games. With the help of the older teammates, over the weeks of the after school tennis program, the child really opened up and became comfortable playing tennis with all the students. This was special to see because it showcased the transformative power of tennis. It took teamwork and friendship to allow this student to be encouraged to play the game.

The USTA Mid-Atlantic’s after school tennis program helps kids connect with one another, and make breakthroughs both with their tennis skills and social skills to open up in new ways than before. This is a positive experience that lasts a lifetime.

This is why it is so critical to support this program. The way it is structured helps bring children together that are all different levels and helps them all succeed and grow in the sport together.

Ensuring that USTA Mid-Atlantic can continue to make the tennis after school program affordable and accessible to all while delivering high-quality experiences is critical. It is truly a  special program and I encourage individuals to make a tax deductible donation today to help the program grow.

As the after school session is coming to an end for the spring, I feel I have had a positive impact working with the kids in the tennis program. Through this program, I make a difference in their day and I see their excitement to play tennis.

When you make a tax deductible gift of $100.74, it not only covers the cost of equipment, high-quality curriculum, and instruction for one child in the program, you are supporting a program that is rewarding for children and one that allows them to focus on enjoying the fun of the sport while learning so much about themselves and others who may not be like them.

And USTA Mid-Atlantic has an anonymous donor that will match all donations made up to $10,000 for 2019.

Thank you for reading my coaching story. I invite you to read perspectives from two other coaches, Noe and Raith, and learn more about USTA Mid-Atlantic’s tennis after school program and the impact being made.

Sincerely,

Max

Proud Coach, USTA Mid-Atlantic After School Youth Tennis Program

P.S. USTA Mid-Atlantic has reached more than 1,300 kids so far in 2019 and more than 10,000 overall since the program’s inception in 2016. Your tax deductible gift of $100.74 will help another child experience the love of tennis.