The USTA Foundation is mobilizing its expansive network of donors, educators and friends of tennis in support of National Junior Tennis and Learning (NJTL) chapters in response to the devastation they’ve experienced as a result of the global coronavirus crisis.
Launching nationwide today, the USTA Foundation’s “Rally to Rebuild” fundraising campaign is a call to action to support these tennis and education organizations, which play a crucial role in the lives of over 160,000 under-resourced youth in 250 diverse communities across the country.
With the pandemic suspending activities and programming for these chapters for nearly three months, the NJTL network is facing unprecedented adversity as a result of local sources of funding being cut or reduced, and the postponement or cancellation of fundraising events, resulting in significant losses to the operating budgets of each chapter.
These tennis and education programs help NJTL student-athletes earn thousands of dollars in scholarships and afford them priceless opportunities and memories each year, and recognizing the importance of their role in the development of young people, the USTA Foundation has pledged more than $4 million to support these chapters in overcoming these challenges.
This work is already underway and will continue into the summer months, as these chapters resume modified operations this summer in line with local and national health and medical directives.
The board of directors of the USTA Foundation, led by chairperson and 18-time Grand Slam champion Chris Evert, has also committed to matching up to at least $1 million in pledges and donations made during the campaign.
While they were kept off the courts and away from their facilities during the pandemic, NJTL chapters and their participants nonetheless played a vital role in their communities during the pandemic.
These initiatives saw chapters partner with local grocery stores and food banks, and hand-delivered meals to those in need; send tennis equipment to homes for coaches to conduct online training sessions; and host before- and after-school virtual gatherings to help provide students the opportunity to keep connected, mentally strong and academically engaged.
For more information about USTA Foundation programs, and to donate to the “Rally to Rebuild” campaign, click here.
Photo: The USTA Foundation and Chris Evert partnered with the Philadelphia Freedoms World TeamTennis team for a tennis clinic for local NJTL youth at Independence Hall in Philadelphia, Pa. on May 20, 2019.
