GRANTS AT WORK New Wheelchair an Ace in New England 

Wheelchair tennis will keep rolling on in southeastern Massachusetts and Rhode Island, thanks to a generous grant facilitated by the USTA Foundation.

The South Coast Wheelchair Tennis Foundation (SCWTF), a nonprofit organization, has been promoting the game of wheelchair tennis throughout southeastern Massachusetts and the state of Rhode Island since 2016. Through on-court game and technical instruction, the SCWTF has improved and developed disabled athletes’ abilities on the tennis court.

In November 2016, the USTA Foundation, the national charitable organization of the USTA, facilitated the donation of an Invacare Wheelchair and $5,000 to the SCWTF. “We’re quite thankful for the USTA for awarding us the grant and the wheelchair,” said SCWTF President Thomas Dodd, “It has enabled us to expand our program, allowing new players to jump in and strap in and get to try the sport.”

The top pro wheelchair, which was donated by The Nielsen Foundation, arrived just in time for SCWTF’s winter clinics, as well as a round robin doubles tournament held in the spring. The grant funds have been used for the purchase of equipment and operating costs of a nonprofit.

With the recent addition of six new players and the new wheelchair, the SCWTF will hit the ground rolling into their summer clinic which is held for four hours every Monday at the Tennis Club at the Tennis Hall of Fame in Newport, RI. SCWTF plans to continue to help grow wheelchair tennis through the recruitment of new volunteer instructors to help new players to develop their game skills and have their current athletes enter local competitions.  

For further information about the South Coast Wheelchair Tennis Foundation, please contact Thomas Dodd or visit the South Coast Wheelchair Tennis Foundation website at SouthCoastWheelchairTennis.org.