Grand Slam Patrons

Champion Patron

• Dennis Alter & Bridgette Mayer

Top-Seed Patrons

• AmeriHealth Mercy Health Plan
• Cozen O’Connor
• Mary Walto & James Fernberger
• J & J Snack Foods

Challenger Patrons

• The Addis Group
• BizEquity
• Blank Rome LLP
• Sibby and Bob Brasler / Brasler Properties
• Bill Buck
• Capital Management Enterprises
• Melissa Kaschak and Friends of Linda and Ian
• Harvey Goodstein Charitable Foundation
• ICG
• K10 Kids Foundation
• Kohn, Swift & Graf, P.C.
• Kolsby, Gordon, Robin, Shore & Bezar
• Lindy Property Management
• Merrill Lynch
• NDH Capital Corporation / Structured Growth Capital
• PRWT Services, Inc.
• Replica Creative
• Saul Ewing LLP.
• Irene & Fred Shabel
• Hope Berman and Eric Spieler (Young Friends)
• United States Tennis Association

*List of sponsors as of February 21, 2012

Program Start/End Date: June 25, 2012 – August 9, 2012

Site Manager/Head Coach
Position serves as lead instructor and manager of site operations including registration, payments, equipment, on-court instruction, transportation, and communications. Candidates must be 18 years or older and have experience teaching tennis. Valid drivers license and access to a registered, insured car strongly preferred.

Assistant Instructor
Candidates must be 18 years or older and have substantive experience teaching or playing tennis. Experience with children is preferred.

Junior Instructor
Employment opportunity for high school students age 14 or older. Candidates must have experience playing tennis and knowledge of teaching basic tennis strokes. Experience with children is preferred.

Linda and Ian Swain

Arthur Ashe Youth Tennis and Education (AAYTE) in Philadelphia announced today that Linda and Ian Swain, of Haverford, will serve as co-chairs for the 29^th Annual Arthur Ashe Youth Tennis and Education “Court of Dreams” Benefit on Friday, April 27 at 6 p.m. at the AAYTE Center, 4842 Ridge Ave.

The Swains, both long-time supporters and active members of AAYTE, are founders and operators of Swain Tours, located in Ardmore, PA, the USA’s leading provider of exotic vacation experiences since 1987. This year, the Swains are donating an exotic luxury trip to the Trisara Resort in Phuket, Thailand, and Amankora in Bhutan, as an auction item.

Linda and Ian Swain will oversee all aspects of the annual Benefit, which this year coincides with AAYTE’s 60^th anniversary. Proceeds from the Benefit support the nonprofit organization’s tennis, leadership development and educational enrichment programs.

The Arthur Ashe Youth Tennis and Education Benefit Committee also announced the appointment of 12 Vice Chairs for the 2012 Benefit. They are: Jill and Phil Plotnick of Lafayette Hill, PA; Meredith and Michael Carter, Bryn Mawr, PA; Brooke and Barry Edelstein, Bryn Mawr, PA; Shari and Robert Hunn, Blue Bell, PA; Dr. Hope Berman and Eric Spieler, St. David’s, PA; and Ilyce and David Benton, Media, PA.

The Benefit features one of the largest and most diverse silent auctions items of any fundraising event in the city; a live auction with high-quality and unique items; a welcome reception with delicious hors d’oeuvres and tasty beverages; and a full-course dinner.

“Arthur Ashe Youth Tennis and Education is delighted to have Linda and Ian Swain as our co-chairs for this year’s Benefit,” said Kenny Holdsman, AAYTE President. “Linda’s many creative and operational contributions as an AAYTE Board member, including featuring our kids and families on her TV show, “Moms on the Move,” and producing a compelling video that includes Arthur Ashe’s last video interview, have been greatly appreciated for many years. She and Ian are planning on making this big 60^th Anniversary Benefit the most spectacular and enjoyable event of its kind in Philadelphia.”

Individuals and companies wishing to become sponsors of the event or people who want to serve as volunteers or people who want to purchase tickets should call AAYTE’s Philadelphia offices (215-487-3477) or visit www.ashetennis.org. 

“Because its programs have a positive effect on shaping the lives of potentially at-risk children, Citizens Bank has a strong, ongoing partnership with Arthur Ashe Youth Tennis and Education,” said Henri G. Moore, senior vice president and director of public affairs for Citizens Bank and a member of the AAYTE Board of Directors. “The $30,000 Citizens Bank Foundation grant will help keep unsupervised children off the streets or at home alone for two afternoons every week throughout the school year and focus their energies on homework and learning the great sport of tennis.”

“We’re grateful for the ongoing participation and contributions from Citizens Bank,” said Kenny Holdsman, president of Arthur Ashe Youth Tennis and Education. “We’ve reached many more children in recent years in large part because of Citizens Bank’s financial support. Our students are getting the chance to develop not only as student-athletes, but also as leaders and good citizens.”

The goal of the Camden program is to provide low-income children with the skills that are required to improve themselves both on and off the tennis court. The program seeks to create a positive and safe space for children to build their cardiovascular capacity, strengthen their educational and athletic achievement and develop a lifelong love of tennis. The program aims to lower the body-mass index in 90 percent of the program participants, while maintaining student attendance at 70 percent.

John McGinty, who oversees the Camden operation for AAYTE, believes that keeping an eye on children after school is important because violent juvenile crimes triple between 3 p.m. and 8 p.m.

Parent-student tennis nights are held monthly to introduce parents to the game of tennis. In addition to watching their children play, parents are encouraged to pick up a racquet. Parents also learn about the benefits of physical exercise and the emotional discipline that organized sports, such as tennis, can provide.

About the Citizens Bank Foundation

Citizens Bank Foundation is a subsidiary of the Citizens Charitable Foundation, which is a charitable contributions vehicle of Citizens Financial Group, Inc., RBS Citizens, N.A. and Citizens Bank of Pennsylvania. The foundation’s support is focused on human services, affordable housing, and economic development. CFG’s website is citizensbank.com.

PHILADELPHIA, PA, October 18, 2011 – Arthur Ashe Youth Tennis and Education (AAYTE) today marked an important milestone in its history when it “switched on” a new $1.6 million solar power energy system, eventually providing a 50 percent energy savings, which will be used to support programs for thousand of young people from the Philadelphia area.

“Our move to solar power will allow us to reallocate precious resources from energy costs to program expansion,” said Kenny Holdsman, AAYTE President. “This Green project will reduce our environmental impact while increasing our ability to help many urban kids at a time when they and their families are counting on us more than ever.”

The cutting-edge solar project involves the installation of nearly 1,200 solar panels on two of the AAYTE Center’s roofs, taking up 25,000 square feet. The project is expected to generate over 350,000 kilowatt hours in the first year of production. It will satisfy more than half of AAYTE’s electricity consumption, potentially saving the nonprofit hundreds of thousands of dollars over the course of the solar panels’ 25-year warranty life.

Holdsman said the money saved will be invested into tennis, education and leadership development programs for thousands of young people, many from disadvantaged neighborhoods, who participate in AAYTE’s year-round programs in Philadelphia and Camden.

“I want to thank the entire Facilities Committee of our Board for their leadership and persistence, especially Bob Brasler, a longtime AAYTE champion who spearheaded the Building Committee when the AAYTE Center was constructed,” Holdsman said. “I must also thank our advisor Stephen Mitnick, the Pennsylvania Energy Development Authority (PEDA), PECO’s “Smart Ideas” program, the City of Philadelphia’s Law Department, and all of the people from UGI Performance Solutions who were essential to making the project a reality.”

AAYTE received a $393,000 grant from PEDA over 15 months ago when the project originated. After taking on an initial partner, governmental and market conditions changes occurred in renewable energy tax credits and the project came to a temporary halt.

UGI Performance Solutions, of Colmar, PA, and AAYTE entered into a partnership to provide solar power. The AAYTE project is the first nonprofit solar energy partnership for UGI Performance Solutions.

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]]> http://www.ashetennis.org/2011/10/arthur-ashe-youth-tennis-and-education-serves-an-ace-by-switching-on-new-solar-power-energy-panels/feed/ 0 http://www.ashetennis.org/2011/10/local-food-businesses-help-raise-money-for-tennis-scholarships/ http://www.ashetennis.org/2011/10/local-food-businesses-help-raise-money-for-tennis-scholarships/#comments Wed, 05 Oct 2011 15:14:00 +0000 marcie http://www.ashetennis.org/?p=1245 October 5, 2011

By Lane Blackmer
for NewsWorks

Five emerging culinary masterminds collaborated this weekend to showcase their unique styles while raising money for charity.

When co-owner of Pitruco Pizza, Jonah Fliegelman, was tossing around ideas for his gourmet food truck’s grand opening, Arthur Ashe Youth Tennis and Education (AAYTE) immediately came to mind.

“I thought it would be awesome if we could invite all of our family, friends and also the rest of the city for a good cause,” Fliegelman said. “I believe in Philadelphia. I believe in the inner city and I believe in tennis.”

The idea was to bring in some local food businesses for a tennis and food-filled social event.

Fliegelman has long rallied behind the tennis group, which not only teaches kids the game but also puts emphasis on the classroom and community.

When Fliegelman was growing up in Germantown, he played in a neighborhood National Junior Tennis League for AAYTE. Eventually, he nabbed a tennis scholarship at American University in Washington, D.C.

After returning to Philadelphia, Fliegelman dabbled in teaching, then real estate and eventually approached instructing tennis in neighborhood-based programs at AAYTE.

But six month ago, he left the organization to pursue a pizza food truck business with friend Nathan Winkler.

When Fliegelman and Winkler had their pizza truck ready to go, they put the idea for the grand opening in AAYTE president Kenny Holdsman’s court.

“Jonah’s soul is in our organization and in this center,” Holdsman said. “We thought it was a nice idea.”

When he was given the green light, Fliegelman rounded up four other up-and-coming culinary businesses to create the “Taste of Tennis” fundraiser for AAYTE.

“I’m developing a community of small entrepreneurial culinary-minded Philadelphians,” he said. “And I asked them if they wanted to give back to Arthur Ashe [Youth Tennis and Education] and help us kick-off our truck.”

These groups — A Cupcake Wonderland, Latin Farmer Gourmet Food Truck, Strada Pasta and Mellody Brewing Co. — are all local small businesses that have just started out or are looking to grow.

All of the new businesses have something in common — a passion for food and a community-oriented mindset.

“Anything that gives to Philadelphia youth, I want to be a part of,” said Lily Fischer, owner of A Cupcake Wonderland. “If I can bake some cupcakes for something like this, the pleasure is all mine.”

Joanne Klein’s 10-year-old son takes lessons at AAYTE and said the organization has the same mindset.

“Here, it’s a big family,” she said. “All the money that’s ever raised [for scholarships], it’s for people who deserve and need it.”

Gregg Alleyne, whose 9-year-old daughter Olivia plays tennis at the organization, said he came for two reasons: sampling from new businesses on the Philadelphia food scene and standing by AAYTE.

“We’re big supporters of this endeavor,” said Alleyne of he and his wife. “Anything to help the kids and the community.”

Alleyne, who considers himself a “certified home chef” said the food was a grand slam with him.

Holdsman said between 140 and 150 people attended and the AAYTE plans to use the money for 15 or so tennis scholarships.