City Parks Foundation Tennis Program Goes Year-Round

One-time Wimbledon, US Open and Australian Open champion Virginia Wade (back row, c.) posed with some of the first participants in the expanded CityParks Tennis program. The program will now be conducted in year-round sessions.

Last Saturday, February 9, at the Billie Jean King USTA National Tennis Center in Flushing, Virginia Wade, one of Britain's greatest tennis players, best known for winning Wimbledon, the US Open, and the Australian Open, joined the City Parks Foundation as the foundation announced the expansion of its CityParks Tennis program, currently serving more than 7,000 New York City youths with free tennis instruction each summer, into a year-long program. Wade conducted a clinic and inspired the young players with the message that they can reach great heights in tennis and in life through determination, dedication, and perseverance.

CityParks Foundation's nationally recognized CityParks Tennis program, supported by Chase for more than a decade, is one of the oldest and largest municipal tennis programs in the country, offering free beginner, intermediate and advanced instruction to youth citywide, ages 5 to 16, every summer. Hundreds of program graduates have earned college athletic scholarships and achieved regional and national rankings.

Support from Chase has enabled CityParks Foundation to expand the CityParks Tennis summer tennis program into a year-round program for intermediate and advanced level participants. In the inaugural season of the winter session, 50 youths are participating, with 12 selected from the Chase Aces Tournament in August to participate as members of the Chase Aces Tournament Team, based on their tennis abilities, academic performance and economic need. The players must maintain a "B" average and perform community service.

"We are grateful to Chase for sponsoring CityParks Tennis, helping thousands of local youth to stay active and healthy while learning a sport they can enjoy their whole lives," City Parks Foundation Executive Director David Rivel said. "The Chase Aces Tournament Team nurtures youth who have reached the intermediate level while encouraging them to excel in the sport and strive for excellence in their academics."

"The Chase Aces Tournament Team is different from programs that reward advanced players because it focuses on recruiting players from low- and middle-income families, offering the opportunity to progress from an intermediate to an advanced level," City Parks Foundation Director of Sports Mike Silverman said.

"We are proud to be the presenting sponsor of CityParks Tennis and to offer promising boys and girls in New York City the opportunity to excel through the Chase Aces Tournament Team," Kimberly Davis, head of philanthropy for JPMorgan Chase, said.

City Parks Foundation (CPF) is the only independent, nonprofit organization to offer park programs throughout the five boroughs of New York City. The organization works in more than 700 parks citywide, presenting a broad range of free arts, sports and education programs and helping citizens to support their parks on a local level. Its programs and community-building initiatives reach more than 600,000 people each year, contributing to the revitalization of neighborhoods throughout New York City. CPF brings free instruction in tennis, golf and track & field to more than 10,000 kids in all five boroughs each year, making local parks a community resource for health and well-being.

CityParks Tennis is presented by Chase. Additional support is provided by the National Recreation Foundation, the United States Tennis Association, the Aviation Development Council, Congressmembers Jose Serrano, and Gregory Meeks, New York City Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg and the New York City Council.