Dear Southern California Tennis Association Foundation Friends,
It has been an amazing and empowering year for the SCTA Foundation. We are back in full swing with our mission of Changing Lives and Communities Through Tennis. We have given approximately $400,000 to players, programs and organizations in underserved populations throughout Southern California. Our areas of impact include youth tennis and education, NJTL’s, promising junior players, wheelchair and adaptive tennis, seniors, adults, veterans, college players, special events and all levels of tournaments.
This year, highlights included making history bringing men’s and women’s professional tennis to So Cal in the San Diego Open ATP 250 and WTA 500. Thousands came to watch top tier tennis in a beautiful and intimate setting at Barnes Tennis Center as So Cal star Brandon Nakashima and No. 1 world-ranked Iga Swaitek swept the field. We sponsored the Ojai Tournament, one of the oldest amateur tournaments in the country dating back to 1896 as well as the prestigious USTA Billie Jean King Girls’ 18s & 16s Nationals. We also supported 12 events of the USTA So Cal Pro Circuit, six men’s and six women’s tournaments giving talented players a chance to reach higher echelons of tennis.
Our mission is also about providing funding and opportunities to promising juniors. We offered almost 100 scholarships and grants to youth ages 8 to 18 years. Top results were logged by our Achievers Team featuring Liam Alvarez, ranked No. 2 nationally in Boys’ 14s, and Daniela Borruel, No 8 in So Cal Girls’ 16s.
Our cultural impact evolved around Juneteenth and Black History Month bringing former USTA CEO and Pro Katrina Adams to play with underserved youth and share her life’s journey and her book “Own The Arena.” We supported a Hispanic Cultural Celebration featuring past and current tennis leaders of Rosie Casals, Angel Lopez, Richard and Dan Gonzales, Nadia Abdala along with top Hispanic college and junior players to name a few. Other areas of impact are empowering girls and women with Title IX Educational Events and celebrations, one featuring Billie Jean King.
We helped sponsor a tennis education conference sponsored by the Orange County Community Tennis Association and offered Tennis Pro Certification Grants to So Cal teaching professionals in alignment with the PTR and USPTA. We supported groups that make a difference such as the Michael Chang Tennis Classic, Tennis Fest San Diego and the San Diego Veterans Tennis Classic.
Community Organizations make a huge impact to pay it forward and we have given grants and scholarships to many so they can succeed in their missions to bring tennis to low income communities. This year, we supported the Kern County Tennis Association (equipment and programs to teens in Bakersfield), Serving Advantage (supports kids with Autism in Orange County), Morongo Basin Tennis Association (free year-round lessons to kids in Yucca Valley) and Youth Tennis San Diego (afterschool Tennis to 12,000 youth.) We supported the La Mirada Community Tennis Association (wheelchair programming in So Cal ) and summer camp scholarships to kids from Agape Tennis Academy (Oxnard), Grassroots Junior Tennis ( Palm Springs), Tennis Serves Others (So Cal) and Youth Tennis San Diego at Barnes Tennis Center (San Diego.)
Here’s a look at the Southern California Tennis Association Foundations impact by the numbers:
- 89 Scholarships to Promising Juniors
- 61 Summer Camp Scholarships
- 17 Community Organizations
- 6 Pro, College & Junior Tournaments Sponsored
- 6 Cultural Celebrations
- 4 Wheelchair Tennis Events
- 2 Facility Improvement Grants
Our ability to serve you, our So Cal tennis community, has been an honor and a privilege this year. We could not have made such a positive impact without the support of our you – our donors, sponsors and the community.
With your help we can continue to fulfill our mission and vision to make tennis and equal opportunity sport. Your financial gift will go a long way to expand our reach in 2023. We are proud to let you know 100% of your support goes directly to scholarships and grants. To donate, go to sctafoundation.org/donate/ ,Text LOVETENNIS to 501-55, https://secure.qgiv.com/for/sctfougivtue, Checks can be sent to SCTA Foundation/ 4490 West Point Loma Blvd, San Diego, CA 92107.
Wishing you a wonderful holiday season and a Happy New Year in 2023!
With heartfelt thanks,
Linda Milan
Executive Director, SCTA Foundation
About Southern California Tennis Association Foundation – Founded in 1986, the Southern California Tennis Association Foundation is a 501c3 nonprofit organization and is the charitable arm of USTA Southern California. The Foundation’s mission is to “Change lives and build communities through tennis.” Since 2020, the SCTA Foundation has had a community impact of giving over $1million in tennis grants and tennis scholarships to deserving youth, adults, tennis organizations, tennis facilities and tennis programs to make tennis an equal opportunity sport, accessible to all, regardless of age, ability, ethnicity, or economic background. Visit us on Social Media on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter. To learn more about the SCTA Foundation go to: www.sctafoundation.org. To donate go to: sctafoundation.org/donate/. https://secure.qgiv.com/for/sctfougivtue