Our junior players are beginning to get their feet wet by competing in tournaments, and we couldn’t be prouder of the growth and determination they are showing on the court. We are excited to see them take on new challenges, gain experience, and soon start climbing up the rankings. These tournaments are just the beginning for our talented juniors, and we can’t wait to watch them continue to grow and succeed.

We are excited to celebrate and highlight our amazing DD&J Junior Tennis players in our upcoming newsletter! We would love to feature your child’s accomplishments on and off the tennis court. Whether they excel in school, participate in other sports, or participate in extracurricular activities, we want to showcase their hard work and dedication.

If you want to have your child highlighted, please send us a short write-up with their achievements and a picture. It can be scholastic information, sports they are involved in, or any other extracurricular activities they are passionate about. Deadline: October 15

Thank you for being a part of the DD&J family, and we look forward to celebrating your child’s successes! Look out for a special edition celebrating our tennis stars.

As we celebrate our juniors, we also want to extend a big "good luck" to our college students who have returned to their respective schools this fall. We are incredibly proud of each of them, not only for their academic success but also for the impact they’ve made here at DD&J.

• Meera Rogers, is continuing her journey as an Education major at Francis Marion.
• Ty’lon Miller, is pursuing his dreams of becoming a veterinarian at Tuskegee University.
• Zaliya Anthony, our beloved S.T.E.M.s teacher from this past summer, a Xavier University biology graduate, is now working toward her master’s degree in biomedical sciences at UCONN on a full academic scholarship. While she isn't a tennis player, her contributions to our "Lob the Ball to Financial Literacy Camp" as the S.T.E.M. teacher were invaluable.
  
  

Though we miss them dearly, their future looks bright, and we look forward to working with them again next summer. Best of luck to each of you!

Parents, we encourage you to share this information with your children so they can understand the importance and history of the NJTL. As members of an NJTL Chapter, it's essential they know what it stands for and how it began.

About the NJTL Network

The National Junior Tennis and Learning (NJTL) network was established in 1969 by tennis icons Arthur Ashe, Charlie Pasarell, and philanthropist Sheridan Snyder. Their mission was to teach young people the values of character, education, and citizenship by using tennis as a vehicle for learning life lessons. Today, NJTL stands as a flagship program of the USTA Foundation, which is the charitable arm of the United States Tennis Association (USTA).

Since its inception, the NJTL network has expanded to include over 250 nonprofit youth development organizations, offering free or low-cost tennis and education programs to more than 150,000 under-resourced children annually. Through the financial and organizational support of the USTA Foundation, the NJTL network and its leaders continue to help young people develop both on and off the court.

While each organization in the NJTL network is unique, we have a shared goal of changing the lives of young people through the powerful combination of tennis and education.

DD&J Junior Tennis Foundation is proud to be one of these 250-plus organizations, committed to shaping the future of young people in our community through the power of tennis.

Coaches Domino & Jackie and the Southern Blueprint for Success Capacity Building Program

We are thrilled to announce that Coaches Domino & Jackie from DD&J Junior Tennis Foundation recently graduated from the Southern Blueprint for Success Capacity Building, Cohort II.

What is the Southern Blueprint for Success Capacity Building Program?

This program is a collaboration between USTA Southern, the USTA Foundation, and the Southern Tennis Foundation, designed to provide NJTL chapters with the tools and resources needed to build thriving and sustainable organizations.

Since 2018, the Blueprint for Success has focused on guiding select NJTL chapters in the nine Southern states to help them achieve their full potential. Over the course of three years, participating chapters receive both funding and technical support to enhance their governance, management, and operational capacities.

Key areas of focus include:

• Governance: Encouraging succession planning and leadership growth.
• Training: Offering board assessments and professional development for staff, as well as strategies for building community relationships.
• Recruitment: Assisting with volunteer recruitment and personnel improvements.
• Marketing/Communications: Strengthening marketing strategies to enhance outreach.
• Outcome Measurement: Helping chapters better track their progress and success.
  
  

The goal of the program is to empower NJTL organizations like DD&J Junior Tennis to grow and sustain their impact for years to come.

• Parents/Volunteers are encouraged to become "Safe Play" certified to assist with the DD&J Program. If your "Safe Play" status has expired, please renew. Select the link below to become Safe Play certified. https://www.usta.com/en/home/safe-play.html
  

You can now follow DD&J on LinkedIn. Let's grow our followers. Select the link and follow now. And if you haven't done so yet, also follow the DD&J Facebook pages.

• LINKEDIN
  
  
• DD&J FACEBOOK

• COACH DOMINO FACEBOOK

Attention all DD&J Alumni Parents, Players, Friends and Community Supporters, we are collecting contact information in preparation for a 30-Year Anniversary Celebration for DD&J. If you would like to receive a celebration invitation include your contact information on the Anniversary Information Form below. Please share the link with other family and friends, and especially with those who attended DD&J tennis clinics as a youth.