By Nicholas J. Walz, USTAFoundation.com
The USTA Foundation has received a grant in the amount of $125,000 from The Coca-Cola Foundation, the philanthropic arm for The Coca-Cola Company. As part of the grant, the USTA Foundation will fund $10,000 to 10 National Junior Tennis and Learning (NJTL) programs nationwide that utilize the ACE (Academic Creative Engagement™) Curriculum.
The ACE curriculum provides hands-on academic lessons in literacy and math and includes additional lessons on nutrition, all designed to encourage academic achievement, health and wellness while developing social skills. In addition to the funds, the following NJTL programs will also receive professional development support and materials:
- 15 Love – Albany, N.Y.
- Atlanta Youth Tennis and Education Foundation – Atlanta
- Houston Tennis Association – Houston
- InnerCity Tennis (ICT) – Minneapolis
- LA 84 SCTA NJTL – Los Angeles
- National Junior Tennis and Learning of Trenton – Trenton, N.J.
- Richmond Police Athletic League (PAL) – Richmond, Calif.
- Tennis For Charity – Cincinnati
- The Sportsmen’s Tennis & Enrichment Center – Dorchester, Mass.
- Youth Tennis Advantage – Berkeley, Calif.
“We are extremely grateful to The Coca-Cola Foundation for supporting the ACE curriculum and our phenomenal NJTL chapters,” said Dan Faber, Executive Director, USTA Foundation. “It’s exciting to partner with a company with an extraordinary global presence, and who has positively impacted so many people around the world. With this grant, we are encouraged and look forward to continuing down that same path. These funds provide us with an opportunity to not only support one of our greatest academic programs within the NJTL network, but to continue to grow and expand our outreach.”
In January, the USTA Foundation combined with USTA NJTL, a national network of 630 community-based tennis and education programs serving more than 330,000 youth, to become a fully operational foundation.
Founded in 1984, The Coca-Cola Foundation has awarded more than $660 million to support global sustainable community initiatives, including water stewardship, women’s empowerment, active healthy living and education.