Hispanic Heritage Month: Inspiring Local Youth Through Tennis

September is National Hispanic Heritage Month, which celebrates the rich culture and vast contributions of the latinx community in the U.S. The USTA Kansas district is ethnically diverse and home to cities, such as Wichita, with large, thriving hispanic populations. As such, we strive to bring tennis to these communities so they can share in all the fun and community our sport is known for.

There’s a lot of good work being done for the residents of Wichita through partnerships between the USTA Foundation, the Genesis Foundation for Fitness & Tennis (GFFT), and the Maureen Connolly Brinker Tennis Foundation of Kansas, including the recent National Junior Tennis League program. With help in part from USTA Foundation grants, the program brought tennis programming and education to 34 Wichita-area schools and over 1,630 students, introducing many who otherwise might not pick up a racquet to a sport they can play and enjoy for a lifetime.

This school year, the partnership between these three philanthropic factions will debut a new after-school tennis program for students in third through eighth grade. Thanks in part to a grant from the USTA Foundation, GFFT will help 40 students from Wichita-area schools have the opportunity to learn how to play tennis while also focusing on their academic, social, and emotional skills. The students will spend four days a week in the program, with 45 minutes of academic support after school and 75 minutes of indoor tennis at their local Genesis Health Club.

“We believe in the power of sports and education to transform lives,” said DeAnn White, director of GFFT. “We want the athletic and academic support to be fun and engaging, while helping students enhance their skills, particularly reading and math. Our support will include tutoring, STEM experiments, career exploration, and hands-on activities.”