DC Charity Spotlight: Washington Tennis & Education Foundation

WISH LIST $100: summer camp for 1 WTEF participant; $500: individualized academic assessment of a CFE student; $1000: 1-year scholarship for a child in the Arthur Ashe Children’s program

Washington Tennis & Education Foundation takes a swing at two serious problems – the risk to kids in the dangerous, afterschool hours, and the poor performance of most students in DC public schools. The flagship activity is the Arthur Ashe Children’s Program, a free academic, athletic, and life skills curriculum serving at-risk students in grades 2 through 9 at 14 elementary and 7 middle schools in Wards 5, 6, 7, and 8. Younger children have Academic Days that focus on homework help and enrichment, and Tennis Days that begin on the courts and end in the classroom. Older children study and receive tennis instruction four days a week, allowing for real improvement in athletic skills and an emerging identity among peers as a “tennis player.” The Center for Excellence (CFE) also pairs academics with tennis, building healthy bodies and teaching self-confidence and self-discipline – valuable skills both on and off the court. In the spring of 2007, for the tenth consecutive year, 100% of graduating CFE seniors gained admission to college. Your serve. Eleni A Rossides,

Executive Director FitzGerald Tennis Center, 16th & Kennedy Streets, NW Washington, DC 20011 www.wtef.org