Author: Sadia Saba

Pershing Square Foundation Donates $1.0 Million to New York Junior Tennis & Learning

Posted on by Sadia Saba

New York Junior Tennis & Learning (NYJTL) is proud to announce a donation of $1 million from the Pershing Square Foundation. This gift will support the NYJTL Scholar Athlete Program, which will offer high quality tennis and educational support to provide a pathway for under-resourced NYC children to attend and graduate from college. After 50 years of successfully providing tennis and academic support for NYC youth, the Scholar Athlete Program will serve as its flagship program and beacon for the entire organization.

NYJTL is excited to continue its relationship with longtime donor and supporter Bill Ackman, who has previously contributed $1 million towards the capital campaign for what is now the Pershing Square Foundation Stadium at the Cary Leeds Center for Tennis & Learning.

“Over the past 50 years, NYJTL has enabled countless children to develop their foundational tennis skills and provided critically important academic support,” says Pershing Square Foundation co-trustee Bill Ackman. “We are delighted to continue our partnership with NYJTL as it expands its programs to empower under-resourced children in New York to attend and graduate from college.”

“We are so grateful for the support of Bill Ackman and the Pershing Square Foundation,” says NYJTL President & CEO Udai Tambar. “This foundational contribution is pivotal in providing pathways to college for under-resourced youth and gives them the resources needed to excel in their personal and academic ambitions.”

Historically, NYJTL has provided a broad range of programming to under-resourced youth in all five NYC boroughs to get them enrolled in meaningful after-school, weekend and summer activities.

The Scholar Athlete Program will serve as the flagship NYJTL program that highlights the substantial benefits of providing in-depth services to underserved youth. It will launch during the NYJTL 50th Anniversary Gala at the Ziegfeld Ballroom on May 4, 2022. The gala will be the culmination of 50 years of service, celebrating the legacy and future of the institution.

About NYJTL:

The mission of New York Junior Tennis & Learning is to develop the character of young people through tennis and education for a lifetime of success on and off the court.  Since 1971, NYJTL has changed lives through tennis, education, healthy living, and character development programs.  Today, it is the largest youth tennis and education non-profit in the nation, reaching more than 85,000 K-12 New York City youth.

NYJTL provides after school programming in approximately 30 schools and community tennis programming at approximately 40 sites throughout New York City in the summer months and at additional sites that operate during the school year.  In addition, NYJTL designed, funded (with NYC), built and operates the Cary Leeds Center for Tennis & Learning, at which it provides free and commercial tennis programming year-round as well as life skills, character development and healthy living lessons.  All NYJTL community tennis and after school programs are offered at no cost to its participants.

NYJTL is looking forward to celebrating its 50th anniversary in 2022!

Contact: Joe Ceriello
Chief Marketing & Development Officer
jceriello@nyjtl.org
(917) 693-6672

ACES Programs Run Strong Despite Pressures from Pandemic

Posted on by Sadia Saba

As students return to school in the new year, evolving circumstances regarding the COVID-19 pandemic’s Omicron variant has created challenges for school administrators and families alike. New York Junior Tennis & Learning (NYJTL) is dedicated to supporting our schools and participants’ families as we navigate the ever changing nature of the public health crisis we are currently facing.  

Approximately 300,000 students missed class on average this week in the country’s largest school district, which serves one million young people. With new cases of the COVID-19 virus proliferating citywide, attendance in the first week back to school after the winter recess hovered around 70 percent. NYJTL ACES staff is committed to continuing to deliver specialized, high-quality enrichment programming throughout all of our sites. ACES sites and staff have been working together to provide supplies to ensure the safe delivery of programs that abide by all health regulations. Depending on the different sites, schedules have been changed to address the needs of specific student populations. All staff have been working diligently to support school principals and families in managing the changing challenges of the pandemic. Undoubtedly, our staff, families, and school administrators have been demonstrating resilience and adaptability when met with the demands of today.  

Jim McManus Memorial Scholarship Will Support ITP

Posted on by Sadia Saba

Jim McManus passed away on January 18, 2011 at the age of 70. For more than 50 years, he was an integral part of the tennis landscape as a player, administrator, historian and fan of the game. Jim was a founder and member of the original Board of Directors at the ATP in 1972, eventually spending 28 years as an ATP Tour staff member working on all elements of the men’s professional game: the ranking system, player entries, tournament representation and development, retirement program, Senior Tour and alumni services.

The Jim McManus Memorial Fund is an initiative aimed to provide assistance to an individual or program demonstrating passion and dedication for the sport of tennis, its heritage, sportsmanship, camaraderie along with encouraging an atmosphere of pride in the game. This fund will support the Jim McManus Memorial Scholarship in collaboration with the Association of Tennis Professionals, which will sponsor the annual fees for an New York Junior Tennis & Learning (NYJTL) Intensive Training Program (ITP) participant, giving them the opportunity to train for a potential tennis scholarship for college.

NYJTL is excited to be awarded the Jim McManus Memorial Fund to provide a scholarship for a student to participate in our pivotal Intensive Training Program. This scholarship will instill the values of Jim’s life and success in the youth we serve, and continue his legacy of a deep dedication to tennis through our participants.

Stuart Weitzman Endows $1.0 Million Fund for New York Junior Tennis & Learning

Posted on by Sadia Saba

For immediate release NEW YORK (January 10, 2022) – New York Junior Tennis & Learning (NYJTL) is pleased to announce an endowed fund of $1.0 million from Stuart Weitzman, the renowned designer and entrepreneur.  This gift will support the NYJTL Scholar Athlete Program, which will offer high quality, personalized tennis and educational support and instruction to provide a pathway for under-resourced NYC children to attend and graduate from college.  After 50 years of providing tennis and academic support for NYC youth, the Scholar Athlete Program will serve as a beacon for the entire organization.

Mr. Weitzman’s visionary support of NYJTL’s role in nurturing the development of the city’s young people through tennis and education will assure the expansion of its program and greater access to more under-resourced children.

“It is my pleasure to work with NYJTL to better the lives of NYC youth through its enduring work,” said Mr. Weitzman. “In giving back, I hope to connect my legacy to the transformative Scholar Athlete Program, which will launch many children into college and beyond.”

Stuart Weitzman is a luxury shoe designer and corporate leader who launched his namesake brand in 1986. He spent several years as an apprentice under his father, Seymour Weitzman, at the Mr. Seymour shoe factory in Haverhill, Massachusetts. Since his early beginnings in the industry, Mr. Weitzman has revolutionized shoe design internationally by combining style and comfort in all his designs.

In 2018, Mr. Weitzman retired after nearly five decades of successfully leading one of the most recognizable brands in the footwear industry. The legacy of the company persists through its principles of entrepreneurial spirit, interconnectedness, and originality.  He is a graduate of the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania. Since his retirement, he has devoted much of his time to lecturing at Penn and other universities passing along his knowledge and experiences from his career. In recognition of his support to the University of Pennsylvania, their School of Design was renamed the Stuart Weitzman School of Design.

“We are elated to receive the generosity of Stuart Weitzman,” said NYJTL Board Chair Bob Horne. “This gift provides monumental aid in providing NYC children the opportunity and support they need to prepare for college and to reach their highest potential through the Scholar Athlete Program.”

This gift will partially endow NYJTL’s Scholar Athlete Program, which is the materialization of NYJTL’s core belief that tennis and education are a catalyst for long-term achievement and opportunity for low-income youth and their families.

This program will serve as the flagship NYJTL program that highlights the substantial benefits of providing in-depth services to underserved youth.  Through the example of the Scholar Athlete Program, NYJTL hopes to inspire thousands of NYC youth in all of its programs to pursue their long-term goals, including going to college for those who aspire to do so.

About NYJTL:

The mission of New York Junior Tennis & Learning is to develop the character of young people through tennis and education for a lifetime of success on and off the court.  Since 1971, NYJTL has changed lives through tennis, education, healthy living, and character development programs.  Today, it is the largest youth tennis and education non-profit in the nation, reaching more than 85,000 K-12 New York City youth.

NYJTL provides after school programming in approximately 30 schools and community tennis programming at approximately 40 sites throughout New York City in the summer months and at additional sites that operate during the school year.  In addition, NYJTL designed, funded (with NYC), built and operates the Cary Leeds Center for Tennis & Learning, at which it provides free and commercial tennis programming year-round as well as life skills, character development and healthy living lessons.  All NYJTL community tennis and after school programs are offered at no cost to its participants.

NYJTL is looking forward to celebrating its 50th anniversary in 2022 (delayed due to COVID)!

Contact: Joe Ceriello
Chief Marketing & Development Officer
jceriello@nyjtl.org
(917) 693-6672

Women’s Sports Foundation Provides ACES Afterschool with New Digital Sports Education Platform

Posted on by Sadia Saba

The Women’s Sports Foundation has provided NYJTL’s ACES Afterschool Program (ACES) with We Play Interactive as a new feature to be used in classrooms citywide. NYJTL has previously been supported by WSF’s sports education curriculums and is excited to now have access to its new digital platform. We Play Interactive is a fully accessible online learning platform for program leaders to create an emotionally and physically safe environment that empowers girls to explore and grow through physical activity and sport. The educational platform will be integrated into many ACES classrooms and can be used anywhere, at any time for students across all abilities.

We Play Interactive provides theme-based activity modules with easy-to-follow lesson plans with warmups, movement-based activities, mindfulness activities, reflections, and more. This includes a substantive video library of renowned female athletes to share with program participants to spark discussion and connection. It also offers program leaders training modules to enhance their skills and build community. NYJTL is happy to introduce innovative technology into our ACES classrooms to empower under-served students through tennis and education, and promote community across the populations we serve.

NYJTL Students Watch the Williams Sisters’ Historic Rise in “King Richard”

Posted on by Sadia Saba

On November 29, 2021, students and players from New York Junior Tennis & Learning (NYJTL) programs were invited to watch private screenings of King Richard. The biographical Warner Bros. Pictures film follows the life of Richard Williams, the steadfast father of tennis legends Serena and Venus Williams, who overcame seemingly unbeatable odds and rampant expectations by training his daughters from Compton, California to become exemplary athletes and role models on the global stage.  

Over the next month, NYJTL is creating opportunities for more than 1,000 students to watch King Richard and is raising funds to ensure that the opportunity is available throughout our ACES Afterschool Program (ACES), Community Tennis Program (CTP), and community-based programs at the Cary Leeds Center for Tennis & Learning. NYJTL believes that it is important for NYC youth to learn about the inspiring story of the Williams sisters’ historic rise not only for their monumental growth as tennis champions, but also because they embody its organizational values of character, community, and learning. 

The story of Richard Williams and his daughters showcases much of the life skills that NYJTL cultivates in the youth it serves such as critical thinking, self-direction, competitive spirit, and resilience. King Richard screenings will be paired with an educational component, where students will discuss the different lessons from the film that teach these key themes.  

“The Williams family has mastered the principle of resilience,” says NYJTL CEO & President Udai Tambar. “Venus and Serena’s journeys are a testament to the importance of instilling perseverance and self-confidence in our young people, the way that Richard Williams did with his daughters. We know we can always dream bigger, because we know Venus and Serena did the same and prevailed.”   

Serena and Venus have donated much of their time creating motivational experiences for youth off the court. In August 2019, NYJTL partnered with Nike for the Queens of the Future event in the streets of New York City, very close to where the US Open is held annually. Serena Williams was featured in the event, where she inspired girls everywhere to pursue their dreams no matter how big. She spoke with the aspiring tennis stars and shared the lessons she learned from her own journey, expressing that sports played a huge role in her growth because it gave her confidence, courage, and discipline. We hope that all NYJTL program participants learn these principles from the inspiring Williams family and actualize them in their own lives.