WHITE PLAINS, N.Y. – The USTA announced that Hartford R.A.L.L.Y was one of three National Junior Tennis Learning (NJTL) Chapters nationwide to win a 2010 USTA/NJTL Chapter of the Year Award. The USTA recognizes chapters and programs at three different budget levels to reward those organizations that are able to do more with less.
The 2010 USTA/NJTL Chapters of the Year and their corresponding budget levels are: New York Junior Tennis League ($500k and over); Saint Paul Urban Tennis ($50k-500k); and Hartford R.A.L.L.Y (less than $50k).
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Hartford R.A.L.L.Y is a USTA Community Tennis Association initiative to provide Hartford youth, ages 5-12, with tennis instruction and literacy enrichment, free of charge. Founded in 2008 by then-high-school students Becky and Emily Steinberg (PICTURED BELOW), this four-week summer program serves between 30-50 campers annually, primarily from the Naylor Elementary School in Hartford, and is staffed by high school students who volunteer their time. The daily schedule includes tennis instruction utilizing the QuickStart Tennis play format, reading, snack, and free play at the playground. R.A.L.L.Y prides itself on providing Hartford youth with a safe environment in which they feel comfortable learning new things, meeting new people, and having fun. They encourage a love for tennis and a basic understanding of the game, while promoting a love of reading and advancement of literacy skills. In addition, R.A.L.L.Y instills sound values such as increased self-confidence, integrity, focus and hard work, while linking perseverance with success.
Arthur Ashe, along with Charlie Pasarell, and Sheridan Snyder, founded the NJTL network in 1969. Ashe envisioned NJTL, as “a way to gain and hold the attention of young people in the inner cities and their poor environments so that we can teach them about matters more important than tennis.” Since then, NJTL has grown to more than 550 chapters across the country, serving more than 225,000 youth each year, making it one of the USTA’s largest community-based offerings.
“We are proud to honor the work being done by these NJTL chapters,” said Kurt Kamperman, Chief Executive, Community Tennis, USTA. “These are outstanding examples of how NJTL continues to impact today’s youth not only through tennis, but with programs that emphasize character and education.”
The programs were recognized formally at an awards banquet during the USTA’s annual Community Tennis Development Workshop, Feb. 11-13, 2011 at the Hyatt Regency Crystal City in Arlington, Virginia.