"Some say that winning the 1968 US Open as the first African American male was Arthur Ashe’s greatest accomplishment, what do you think?"

Youth Tennis Advantage will host a Tennis Block Party immediately following the ribbon cutting ceremony to celebrate the newly resurfaced courts. Refreshments, Tennis Games, Music and Prizes will be available for children and adults! Join us for the party and learn about upcoming tennis programs and events at John McLaren Park.

When: Saturday, September 18^th, 2 - 4:30 p.m.

August 5th started with wet courts at Golden Gate Park Tennis Complex in San Francisco, however, that didn’t dampen the spirits of the many adults and high school volunteers that set up for the National Junior Tennis League (NJTL) Kids Day.

Hundreds of kids, ages 5-18, spent the day playing and celebrating the end of summer at one of the most historic public tennis facilities in Northern California.

Professional players such as Rosie Casals and Peanut Louie spent hundreds of hours on the same Golden Gate Park tennis courts. Could one of the current NJTL players make it to the professional ranks, like Rosie and Peanut did? Only time will tell.

With the help of sponsors, Kaiser Permanente and Sports Basement, USTA NorCal and YTA help host the annual NJTL Kids Day that provides a venue where young people thrive and learn to do their best.

450+ kids and 100 coaches/volunteers participated in the NorCal NJTL Kids’ day and we look forward to next year’s event.

The LRG Capital Group For the Kids Dinner

Presented by Blue Shield of California and Benefiting Youth Tennis Advantage

Exceeded Expectations!

18th annual For the Kids Dinner. Photography by The Photoblock.

Held on the beautiful grounds of the Stanford University campus during the most prestigious WTA tournament in Northern California, The Bank of the West Classic, the 18th Annual For the Kids Dinner exceeded last year's dinner in total funds raised! The $146,000 ($7,000 more than last year's event brought in) generated by the 2010 dinner will help YTA continue after school and college pathway programs for hundreds of Bay Area children. 

The 2010 For the Kids Dinner highlighted honorees of four annual awards: Sandy Walker, Arthur Ashe Award of Excellence; Peter Wright, Tennis Mentor of the Year; Brandon On, Scholar Athlete of the Year and Tyronda Starks, Scholar Athlete Emeritus. 

One of the evening's most special moments was a speech from Natalie Dillion who accepted the award for Tyronda Starks in her absence. Natalie, who trained under YTA Site Director Carl Mendoza at Mission Playground in San Francisco, told the dinner guests, "Little did I know at age 5, ponytail bobbing with my pink jumpsuit, that outside the tennis fences were streets filled with crimes, drugs and lost dreams. Ten years later, after I had traveled from Thailand to Mexico to Alberque for tennis, after getting accepted to Stanford University, playing on the Stanford women's tennis team and winning my first NCAA National Championship Title, did I truly realize how essential those YTA tennis classes were to my success". 

Longtime YTA board member Barry MacKay was master of ceremonies and led a lively and interesting interview with WTA tour player Samantha Stosur of Brisbane Australia.

Special appreciation is given to our dinner sponsors: LRG Capital Group and Blue Shield of California as well as our event manager Karin Klarreich, all the wonderful volunteers, staff and board members who participated in this event!

For Tennis Benefit Scores an Ace by Janet Duca Norton of the Palo Alto Daily News, Click HERE.

Aces for Kids sponsored by Bank of the West

A Collaborative Program of the Taube Philanthropies, YTA, and East Palo Alto Tennis & Tutoring

Aces for Kids, founded by Tad and Dianne Taube, challenges contributors to make a pledge for each Ace served during the Bank of the West Classic.  Thanks to Bank of the West, EPATT and YTA were provided a booth to share with Rebounces, a company who has patented a machine for putting the pressure back in old tennis balls. Visit www.rebounces.com for more information on this exciting new 'green' project.

We appreciate the staff and volunteers who helped run the booth activities!

This year, 152 aces were served and Aces for Kids raised $51,000!  This funding is critical to the programs of YTA and EPATT. Aces for Kids contributors play a pivotal role in the development and expansion of the quality after school programs of YTA and EPATT.

Booth provided by Bank of the West.

                        

Inside Tennis September 2010 - Cops, Kids, Courts

Badges and Backhands is a collaboration between YTA, San Francisco Recreation and Parks, and San Francisco Police and Fire Fighters to benefit local youth through tennis, education and life skills.

Click HERE to view story

On the Right Track
After-School Academic Tutoring and Tennis Lessons Are a Winning Combination for Children in the Bear Trax Program

Photo taken by Staff Photographer Skyler Reid.

For full story, click HERE.