USTA FOUNDATION AWARDS $10,000 GRANT TO EMBRACE YOUR DREAMS

WHITE PLAINS, N.Y., February 4, 2015 – USTA Foundation, the national charitable organization of the United States Tennis Association (USTA), today announced it has awarded Embrace Your Dreams in Bethlehem, Pa., a $10,000 program grant. The foundation concluded its 2014 grant funding cycle by awarding $741,500 in grants to 44 organizations that provide tennis and education to under-resourced youth and people with disabilities, as well those organizations with a need for program infrastructure support.

Embrace Your Dreams (EYD) is the umbrella nonprofit organization for The First Tee of Lehigh Valley and The First Serve junior tennis programs. Its youth development programs teach life skills, core values and academics through golf and tennis instruction for underserved children. The USTA Foundation grant will support The First Serve tennis program, allowing it to continue existing programs, add participants and strengthen the program’s delivery of the First Serve Life Skills Curriculum. The grant will also be used for The First Serve instructor fees, transportation and equipment for fall/winter after- school programs and growth of new summer programming.

For more information, visit http://www.embraceyourdreams.org/home.aspx.

The USTA Foundation program grant is a biannual national initiative that was established to award organizations that successfully combine tennis and education to give under-resourced youth and individuals with disabilities the opportunity to play tennis and improve their academic skills in a structured setting. These programs also strive to help combat childhood obesity by promoting healthy lifestyles.

“The USTA Foundation is honored to recognize such outstanding organizations around this country, which greatly impact so many deserving students, children in need and the communities in which they live,” said Dan Faber, Executive Director, USTA Foundation. “Their amazing work makes a difference in thousands of lives across the country and truly inspires us all.”

To date, USTA Foundation has awarded more than $19 million in grants and scholarships to hundreds of programs benefitting thousands of children and adults through tennis, education and health programming, primarily through the NJTL network and also through efforts to assist Military Personnel, Veterans, and individuals with disabilities.

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USTA Foundation, the national charitable organization of the USTA, helps serve up dreams for under-resourced youth; individuals with disabilities; and wounded, ill and injured service members, veterans and their families. The foundation supports programs nationwide that leverage tennis and education to help those in need, primarily through the National Junior Tennis & Learning (NJTL) network, and other efforts to assist military personnel, veterans and individuals with disabilities. To date, it has awarded more than $19 million in grants and scholarships to hundreds of programs, benefitting thousands of children and adults through a tennis, education and health curricula. For more information on USTA Foundation, visit www.ustafoundation.com. Or stay connected through Facebook at www.facebook.com/USTAFoundation, and on Twitter at @USTA_Foundation.