Genesis Foundation, USTA partner to bring summer studies to Wichita students

During the academic hour, children will often read or work on crafts to keep their minds engaged in learning. And during the tennis hour, they receive lessons from Genesis tennis pros and college players on the mechanics of tennis in a fun and safe environment.

“During the summer, I partner with Genesis and their pros,” White said. “At one of the schools in my after-school program I’m partnering with Friends University, and their college students are doing their service hours with me. It’s a new partnership, and we’re very excited they’re going to be joining us and giving back to the community with us. (The children) really enjoy the tennis and they really enjoy the teachers.”

The summer program, which has seen tremendous growth since its inception five years ago, has helped several students in under-resourced communities grow their confidence far beyond academics and athletics.

“We (have) about 440 kids each summer for eight weeks,” White said. “Sixty-nine percent receive free and reduced lunches (during the school year).”

The equipment supplied by the USTA NJTL remains in frequent use and has been a boon to the success of the summer program. 

“We’re grateful to the USTA for providing the racquets and materials for the program—that’s huge,” White said.

With the arrival of a new school year upon us, White is excited to share the summer format will be extended to a new after-school program that will keep the learning alive.

“We’ll be doing an after-school program in two schools,” White said. “That particular program will serve about 46 kids. It’ll be a similar format to summer and will be offered September through March, four days a week.”

A tennis player herself, White sees tremendous value in teaching children how to play tennis.

“If we can teach the kids some basic tennis and we can give them racquets and some basic skills, they can get together at the parks or in their yards to start playing,” White said. “That’s how I got started—playing with my sister in the church parking lot.”

For more information on the Genesis Foundation for Fitness & Tennis, click here. And if you’d like to learn more about the USTA National Junior Tennis and Learning network, click here.