The USTA Foundation, the national charitable foundation of the USTA, has partnered with health care company Johnson & Johnson and its Veteran Leadership Council to host six free Warrior and Family Tennis Day events this spring and summer in New York and Philadelphia.

 

The tennis programs will serve as the first pilot programs to implement the USTA Foundation Warrior Tennis Curriculum.
 
The Warrior and Family Tennis Day will kick off on Saturday, April 19, from 1:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. at the Harlem Armory in New York City. Open to all military service members, veterans and their families, the free event will consist of tennis lessons in addition to activities for participants in wheelchairs.

 

The event will be led by instructors from the local National Junior Tennis and Learning (NJTL) program, Harlem Junior Tennis and Education Program. Attendees at the events will take home T-shirts and other prizes, as well as information about local tennis programming.
 
The USTA Foundation Warrior Tennis Curriculum was recently developed as a guide for rehabilitation therapists and tennis professionals who wish to use the sport as a vehicle to help military service members and veterans make the transition from military to civilian life. In addition, it provides a fun and healthy way to help the service members reconnect with their families and their communities, all while improving their physical health and mental well-being.

 

The curriculum provides guidance on techniques that will specifically assist service members and veterans in playing the game, and it can be used by both tennis professionals and therapists with no prior knowledge of tennis.
 
“We are excited to join Johnson & Johnson in hosting these great tennis events for military service members, veterans and their families in New York and Philadelphia,” said Mary Carillo, Chairwoman of the Board, USTA Foundation. “I’m glad that we can come together to generate this exciting opportunity, and we’re all looking forward to the positive outcomes from the Warrior Tennis Curriculum. We thank Johnson & Johnson for realizing the phenomenal benefits tennis can bring, especially to the lives of those who have sacrificed for our country.”
 
Additional Warrior and Family Tennis Days will take place on July 26 and Sept. 20 in New York, and on June 28, Aug. 2 and Sept. 13 in Philadelphia, where they will be led by the local NJTL program, Legacy Youth Tennis & Education.

 

All events are held on Saturday afternoons from 1:00 to 5:00 p.m.  Please click here for more information!

 

”Johnson & Johnson is proud to partner with the USTA Foundation and bring military service members, veterans and their families together in their communities through tennis,” said Russ Clayton, national chair of the Johnson & Johnson Veterans Leadership Council, and Director, Facilities Supplier Strategy and Governance Center of Excellence. “I know first-hand the value of a successful reintegration after civilian life, and exercise, community reintegration and family strengthening play a big role in its success.”