JTCC Named USTA Foundation NJTL Chapter of the Year

JTCC was recognized on April 14 as the National Junior Tennis & Learning (NJTL) Chapter of the Year during the United States Tennis Association (USTA) Annual Conference in Orlando, FL.

For its work specifically with under-served youth, JTCC was selected from among more than 250 NJTL chapters nationwide as the NJTL of the Year for positively impacting youth through the powerful combination of tennis and education.

“JTCC is honored to receive the NJTL of the Year Award and I’m pleased to be living Arthur Ashe’s dream and implementing his vision of providing access to tennis in underserved communities,” said JTCC CEO Ray Benton, who served as National Executive Director of the NJTL and worked alongside Ashe. “My life has come full circle from being the first National Executive Director for the NJTL to [alumnus] Frances Tiafoe receiving the Arthur Ashe Humanitarian Award in 2020, and now JTCC being named NJTL Chapter of the Year. It’s a real win for deserving children.”

Today, supported by the USTA Foundation through financial grants, scholarship opportunities, curricula, technical assistance, and training, NJTL chapters form a network of nonprofit youth development organizations nationwide serving more than 150,000 youth providing free or low-cost tennis and education programming.

Geico Champions Celebration Raises $584,000 for JTCC 25th Anniversary

JTCC was transformed for an unforgettable evening on April 10 to salute JTCC’s 25th Anniversary honoring alumnus Frances Tiafoe and University of Maryland President Darryll Pines at the GEICO Champions Celebration presented by Amazon and the Bisnow Family.

The honorees shared inspiring messages to an energetic crowd of more than 400 JTCC supporters, who raised an impressive $584,000 benefitting JTCC’s GEICO Game On! community programs.

Guests enjoyed cocktails and hors d’oeuvres during the pre-dinner reception while being entertained by impressive match play featuring JTCC Adaptive athletes, High Performance and Junior Champs players.

The dynamic dinner program was filled with impactful speeches, touching tributes, amusing anecdotes, distinguished awards, and captivating videos that paid homage to JTCC’s growth over the past 25 years and showcased what’s coming in the future.

GEICO Game On! provides a pathway for youth who may not otherwise have the opportunity to play tennis, starting as beginners and progressing to earning college scholarships. Since its inception in 2009, more than 8,000 youth have been introduced to tennis through GEICO Game On!

Check out the videos shown at the Gala by watching Part 1 and Part 2 here.

Get In Touch

Get In Touch Footer