The Fred Wells Tennis and Education Center (FWTEC) in St. Paul, Minn., was named the 2011 USTA National Junior Tennis & Learning (NJTL) Chapter of the Year for Levels 4-5. It will be honored at a banquet as part of the USTA Community Tennis Development Workshop January 14 in New Orleans, La., which boasts the largest gathering of community tennis leaders from across the United States.
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 650 chapters across the country, serving more than 250,000 youth each year, making it one of the USTA’s largest community-based offerings.
The USTA recognizes chapters and programs at three different budget levels to reward those organizations that are able to do more with less. The 2011 USTA/NJTL Chapters of the Year and their corresponding budget levels are: Central Texas Tennis Association (less than $50k); Mary and Frances Youth Center/Lobs & Lessons ($50k-$350k) and Fred Wells Tennis & Education Center ($350k and over).
“I am proud that we are able to recognize these NJTLs for the outstanding commitment they bring to their communities in growing the game of tennis,” said Kurt Kamperman, Chief Executive, Community Tennis, USTA. “It’s no wonder youth tennis is thriving in this country with programs such as these. They deserve to be commended.”
Since opening its doors in 2002, the Fred Wells Tennis and Education Center has kept focused on its mission of empowering youth to be successful on and off the court through tennis and education activities that challenge them academically, physically and socially. With tennis and education as its core programs, FWTEC manages to engage young people outside of the school day by making the programs accessible without regard to cost or transportation.
The 2010-11 school year saw FWTEC’s community volunteers donate more than 2,100 hours of time in teaching and training the program’s participants, while the program provides annual full and partial scholarships to 60 percent of the participants.
With a coach to student ratio of no more than 1:6, FWTEC fosters strong, positive relationships among participants and the coaches who guide them on a weekly basis. The youth programs create an environment in which kids feel emotionally and physically safe so they can build tennis and life skills.
Structured as a public tennis facility, FWTEC is currently at near-capacity for court use and youth program participation. It was named the 2010 and 2011 NJTL of the Year in USTA Northern and was named the 2010 USTA Northern Organization Member of the Year. Earlier this month, FWTEC was also named the 2012 USTA Organization Member of the Year and the 2011 Professional Tennis Registry’s Public Facility of the Year.
“I know I speak for my staff and Board of Directors when I say that it is a tremendous honor to receive this national award as we are in the company with many other excellent NJTLs around the country,” Fred Wells Tennis and Education Center Executive Director Margot Willett said. “It is especially exciting to have this recognition now as we move into celebrating our 10th anniversary as a youth development nonprofit in the Minneapolis-St. Paul area.”