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www.sportseventsmagazine.com September 2015 45 t YOUTH Sports In July, the USTA Foundation, a charitable arm of the U.S. Tennis Association (USTA), announced that 10 of its National Junior Tennis and Learning (NJTL) chapters would each get $10,000 to be used for year-round tennis and education programs. Funded through a partnership with JPMorgan Chase & Company, a longtime sponsor of the US Open tennis championships, the grants will go to teams in New Orleans; San Francisco; Addison, Texas; Wilmington, Del.; Jacksonville, Fla.; Woodside N.Y.; Portland, Ore.; Los Angeles; Chicago; and Houston. To add some excitement, JPMorgan Chase also launched a campaign that awarded an additional $10,000 to the NJTL chapter that secured the most mentions on Twitter. According to Executive Director Dan Faber, the USTA Foundation works with more than 500 non-proft organizations around the country that leverage tennis and education to help more than 225,000 "under-resourced" youth, primarily through the NJTL network. According to a USTA Foundation report, "Serving Up Dreams," there is a 50-50 split between the number of girls and boys, ages 5 to 18, who participate in NJTL programs. These young athletes are from families with an average annual income of $28,000 and 65 percent have an ethnically diverse (non-white) background. Kristin Lemkau, chief marketing offcer for JPMorgan Chase, praised the NJTL network for providing access to tennis instruction to kids who would not otherwise have a chance to play. "They are not only instructing them on the fundamentals of the sport and how to have fun, but on the importance of education as well," she said. "This opportunity will surely create a pipeline of activities and future leaders to come." n Hitting It Over The Net For more information, visit www.ustafoundation.com A program called Beat the Streets Philadelphia (BTSP) is using wrestling as a way to improve the lives of children throughout the city, according to Executive Director Chris Hanlon. He explained that BTSP provides youth the opportu- nity to participate in athletic and mentoring programs. "Our target population is underserved, at-risk youth from communities that are beset with poverty, crime, family dissolution, and generally lack the resources necessary to support children's success in the classroom and in life." During the 2014-2015 academic year, BTSP spon- sored programs at 20 different sites and served just more than 1,000 student-athletes, providing the resources necessary to operate wrestling programs. This included coaches, mats, equipment, insurance, clinics, camps and travel expenses. According to Gary Abbott, USA Wrestling director of communications and special projects, the program in Philadelphia is one of 18 Beat the Streets programs in the United States, with others located in Atlanta; Balti- more; Chicago; Columbus and Toledo, Ohio; Detroit; Dubuque, Iowa; Los Angeles; San Francisco; Madison, Wis.; Milwaukee; New York; Orlando, Pensacola and Tallahassee, Fla.; Providence, R.I.; and Washington, D.C. "The Beat the Streets program has proven to be a fantastic opportunity for young people in urban settings to learn about the sport of wrestling and develop themselves as good students and citizens in a positive environment," Abbott said "It is transforming lives on a daily basis. USA Wrestling is proud to support all Beat the Streets programs in their important work in their communities." n Taking It To The Mat For more information, visit www.teamusa.org/ usa-wrestling/clubs/beat-the-streets USTA Foundation Justin Hoch