ptr-foundation

PTR Foundation assists the David Dinkins Tennis Club in Harlem (formerly known as The Jungle at Fred Johnson Public Park).

Pictured here at the recent Naming of the Courts Ceremony are:. left to right City Councilman, Robert Jackson, former NYC Mayor David Dinkins, Arvelia Myers (original park honoree), State Senator, Denny Farrell, PTR Pro Sam Penceal and wife Bernadette.

The club received a $1,000 grant from the USTA Eastern to start a 10 & Under Family Tennis Program that meets for two hours each Saturday morning.

PTR Foundation provided a grant for over $1,250 for 50 youth tennis racquets, 100 transition tennis balls and Junior Development Training for instructors and staff at the facility. Parents receive instruction along with their children in our 10 & Under Family Tennis Program so PTR also sent along 2 dozen adult racquets so that no parent has an excuse not to join their child on the court!!

The Jungle (official name - The Fred Johnson Park) is the world renown park in Harlem where Althea Gibson (one of the honorees) was discovered by Sidney Llwellyn who was one of the six honorees for whom the courts were named. The others were Bill Holloway, a community tennis activist, Bill Brown and Claude Cargill, founders of the Harlem Junior Tennis Program which PTR Pro Sam Penceal was active with. The Jungle attracts people from the five boroughs of the city as well as New Jersey and Connecticut. Top players from around the country, including Arthur Ashe, James Blake and other pros have played there over the years.

The DDTC was founded to increase the tennis playing experience of those who use the park and to make a contribution to our community. To that end, they conduct an annual school supply drive at which we collect supplies for the children at the local battered women's shelter on the Saturday preceding Labor Day. They open each season with a day of free clinics and fun tennis activities at which participants win prizes on the first Saturday in May. The new name honors the mayor for his contributions to tennis in the Metropolitan Area.

PTR lost a dear member this spring when Skip Nielsen passed away.

Skip’s life changed when he attended the PTR Certification Workshop and then the TennisUniversity with Dennis Van der Meer.
His wife, Tish, knew that Skip’s passion was tennis. Skip loved his annual pilgrimage back to Hilton Head Island for the PTR International Tennis Symposium each year where he truly felt “at home.”

So, when Skip passed away, Tish knew that Skip’s passion could live on when she established a Skip Nielsen fund through PTR Foundation.

On his obituary, Tish wrote that in lieu of flowers, donations should be sent to the PTR Foundation to help disadvantaged youth and the physically & mentally challenged, to play tennis!

The Foundation has already received over $500 in ear-marked donations from all over the country! Tish is looking forward to helping select the first recipient for the Skip Nielsen Scholarship who will be able to attend the PTR Symposium in 2013! And we know Skip will be pleased.

You can make a donation in honor of Skip, or in honor of someone who made a difference in YOUR life by clicking here or mailing to:
PTR Foundation
PO Box 4739
Hilton Head Island, SC 29938

The Professional Tennis Registry Foundation was established in 1979, as the charitable arm of PTR. In order to pursue its aim of raising, administering and distributing funds for charitable activities, the Foundation was granted 501(C)(3) status as an educational foundation by the Internal Revenue Service of the United States. PTR has been granted 501(C)(6) status.

Each year, PTR members donate to the Foundation with their membership renewals. These funds are used for various charitable and research activities. Some of these charitable activities have included Boys and Girls Clubs, Adaptive PE Programs, National Junior Tennis Leagues, junior scholarships, seed grants to start community tennis programs and other worthwhile projects. The Foundation supports the PTR Wheelchair Tennis Championships and the annual Special Olympics Tennis Championships. The Foundation also sponsors wheelchair tennis instruction workshops.

Additionally, the Foundation sponsors free lessons and equipment distribution programs, such as Racquet Roundup. If you would like more information on the PTR Foundation grants, click here for a grant application, which will include biannual deadlines for submitting applications, and grant qualification requirements. Also, the Categories of Giving & Receiving is available.

Board of Directors

Scott Tharp, Chairman
Luciano Botti, Vice Chairman
John Powless, Secretary/Treasurer
Kristen Campbell
Michael Tomic
Dennis Van der Meer

PTR Foundation - Making Tennis Available to Everyone

One of the PTR Foundation's missions is to bring tennis instruction and equipment to inner cities and rural areas where the opportunity may not otherwise be available to them. Through the Foundation, tennis programs have been developed in low-income housing projects, after school latch-key programs, at-risk youth programs and wheelchair tennis rehabilitation programs. As the sport of a lifetime, tennis can be beneficial in building a better future for these kids as well as a healthier lifestyle of wellness for all ages.

Each year, PTR members donate to the Foundation when they send in their membership renewals. Contributions to the PTR Foundation make a world of difference in making tennis available to everyone. Here are just a few examples:

In the aftermath of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita, the PTR Foundation donated thousands of dollars of PTR clothing, Diadora tennis shoes, Head tennis racquets and Gamma equipment to PTR members who were devastated by the storms. Nearly 100 PTR members benefited from the Foundation’s efforts.

In addition, the PTR Foundation supports and promotes wheelchair tennis through player and instructor clinics, published materials and the PTR Wheelchair Tennis Championships. Over the past 10 years, Special Olympics Tennis has been on the roster of organizations that benefit from your contributions.

Racquet Roundup, a PTR Foundation program, collects used racquets for distribution to needy players and organizations. The racquets are restrung by the PTR Foundation with strings provided by Gamma. Racquets, shoes and balls are also given to organizations like Camp ASCCA, an Easter Seals camp that enables children with disabilities to enjoy recreation and outdoor education. Many other worthy organizations and programs have also enjoyed donations as well, including The Methodist Home for Children, Las Vegas Community Center and Wilson County Home School Tennis Clinic.

Educational grants and scholarships are awarded by the PTR Foundation Board of Directors. One recipient, PTR member Ted Mascola, benefited from an equipment donation from the PTR Foundation for his Special Olympics athletes. Sports Tutor heard about Ted's program and donated a Tennis Tutor ball machine worth $1,500. PTR Foundation’s work has far reaching effects on tennis.

This is just a sample of how contributions were used this year by the PTR Foundation. Ensuring tennis is available to everyone is the priority of the Foundation. It cannot be accomplished without donations. No amount is too small to contribute to growing the game of a lifetime. In addition, donors can help determine how their investment in tennis is used by earmarking donations to benefit a specific area such as wheelchair tennis, junior development or education scholarships to the PTR International Tennis Symposium.

Please include a donation to the PTR Foundation in your annual giving or along with your membership renewal. Your contribution will…

Make a World of Difference.

PTR Foundation – Donate Today to support our efforts

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