The USTA Florida Foundation grant system is helping make an impact in South Florida as the Tabu Academy can continue assisting children from low-income households. 

Tabu Academy’s Tennis and Exercise Program was specifically created to address the lack of fitness awareness and diverse sports exposure among children in these communities. Many kids grow up with sports but it’s uncommon for that sport to be tennis.  

Thanks to an equipment grant, Tabu Academy is changing this by providing free fitness services and educating kids about the importance of health, fitness, and discipline. 

The grant from USTA Florida Foundation has been instrumental in making this program successful. With the new equipment, the program has been able to offer high-quality tennis lessons and fitness training to the kids. Over the eight-week course, participants learned the basics of tennis and significantly improved their fitness levels. Some even lost weight, lowering the rate of obesity among children in the community. They also gained endurance and applied their fitness learnings on the tennis court. 

“One positive result that was surprising to us was that the parents were very involved. The kids would beg and drag their parents to come out and to watch them practice and the kids looked forward to coming to our program every Tuesday and Thursday,” a Tabu Academy spokesperson said. “No one forced them to come, they were very excited to be on the court.” The enthusiasm of the children was great to see, and Tabu Academy was happy with their engagement in the tennis activities. 

One parent, Micheline Bien-Aime, shared a heartfelt testimonial about the program’s impact on her son, Jayden. She expressed gratitude for the confidence and self-esteem the program built in her son and noted his eagerness to attend every practice session. “I would like to thank the Tabu Academy Tennis and Exercise Program for allowing my son Jayden the opportunity to participate in the Tennis and Exercise Program,” she said. “These last eight weeks have been invaluable in building his self-esteem and confidence. From the first day of practice Jayden was adamant about making it to practice every day, and never failed to remind me.” 

On top of that, he is more fit and wants to continue in future programs. “He has become more active, and I am very proud of his progress and success,” Micheline added. “We look forward to enrolling in any other programs that the Tabu Academy offers to keep Jayden active and motivated.” 

The USTA Florida Foundation is thrilled to see the community impact of the equipment grant on Tabu Academy and the people it serves. Tabu Academy is doing an amazing job offering a transformative tennis program that promotes health, fitness, and discipline among children in low and moderate-income communities. The USTA Florida Foundation looks forward to seeing the continued growth of the program and other tennis initiatives. 

To help aid these grants, you can donate to the Foundation in multiple ways. The USTA Florida Foundation “Play Tennis” License Plate is a great chance to show your tennis pride, with 90% of all proceeds going to the Foundation. Also, in honor of USTA Florida’s 75th year as an organization, the Foundation has a goal to raise $75,000 for 75 years!  

ABOUT THE USTA FLORIDA FOUNDATION 

With a mission of “Changing Lives through Tennis,” the USTA Florida Section Foundation provides financial support to organizations that help people of all ages and abilities improve their health and quality of life through the great game of tennis. To learn more or to apply for a grant go to ustafloridafoundation.com.