USTA Serves, the National Charitable Foundation of the United States Tennis Association, announced today that it is launching a new "Neighborhood" initiative for its donor-supported Avenue of Aces, located on the grounds of the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center. Past US Open Champions Andre Agassi, Pete Sampras, Ivan Lendl and John McEnroe will join tennis legend Billie Jean King in lending their names to this charitable initiative. The concept will allow fans to order their own personalized pavers to be placed in the Avenue of Aces next to those of their favorite champion by donating to USTA Serves.
The Avenue of Aces forms the pathway between the East Gate entrance of the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center and Arthur Ashe Stadium. Since its inception in 2005, the Avenue of Aces initiative has raised more than $1.4 million to help USTA Serves support programs that provide people with disabilities and disadvantaged, at-risk children in underserved communities an opportunity to learn to play tennis, improve their academics, improve health and fight obesity, and apply for college scholarships. Each personalized paver ordered on the Avenue of Aces will link fans to the US Open and allow donors the chance to be a neighbor to a great champion.
"USTA Serves is excited to continue investing financial and other resources to support organizations that believe in the powerful combination of tennis, education and health," said Mary Carillo, President, USTA Serves. "Through the Avenue of Aces Neighborhood initiative, USTA Serves will bring players closer to our friends and supporters to further develop youth tennis and expand educational opportunities in underserved communities around the country."
To date, USTA Serves has awarded more than $13 million in grants and scholarships to people and programs throughout the country in order to provide the under-served youth with greater opportunities to realize success.
"I applaud the work USTA Serves is doing to give young boys and girls opportunities to excel academically, become healthier and more fit and learn skills to help them succeed in life. I am honored to have a neighborhood on the Avenue of Aces and be a part of this effort with other champions," said King, the pioneering champion for whom the USTA National Tennis Center was named in 2006.
"I'm honored to be included in the US Open Champions' neighborhood on the Avenue of Aces because like USTA Serves, the Andre Agassi Foundation for Education is dedicated to transforming the lives of under-served youth by providing academic opportunities," said Agassi. "So, welcome to the neighborhood and join our efforts to provide tennis and education opportunities so more kids can be champions in their own lives."