A USTA Florida Section Foundation Program Support Grant helped the MaliVai Washington Youth Foundation deliver a summer of tennis, mentorship, and a safe place to be.
For 283 young people in Jacksonville this summer, a tennis racquet came with a lot more attached: meals, field trips, enrichment activities built to slow summer learning loss, and adults who knew their names.
That was Camp Dynamite, the MaliVai Washington Youth Foundation’s six-week summer camp, held at the organization’s Youth and Teen Centers on West 6th Street. It ran daily for 10 hours through June, serving campers ages 6 to 18 at a cost of roughly $50 per participant. A USTA Florida Section Foundation Program Support Grant of more than $8,500 helped make that possible, matched by more than $37,000 raised through the organization’s “Send a Kid to Camp” campaign and Kids Hope Alliance funding.
The need was clear before the first ball was struck. Camp Dynamite filled with a waiting list of more than 70 families.
First racquets, and a lot of them
Nearly one in four campers, 70 of the 283, picked up a racquet for the first time at Camp Dynamite. Every camper played tennis daily.
The results held up across the board. Eighty-four percent of campers attended the full six weeks. Ninety-eight percent of parents and 88 percent of campers reported satisfaction with the program. Camp closed with nine Play Days organized by age group, where players showed off new skills and earned sportsmanship medals alongside first and second place finishes. Three additional tennis jamborees reached 350 more young people through a partner program the week after camp ended.
The competitive side saw its biggest turnout yet, with the largest group in camp history taking part in lessons and challenge ladders. A number of first-time campers have since asked about joining the competitive program this fall.
Growing coaches not just players
One of the summer’s quieter wins happened on the coaching side. Fourteen older campers were trained as junior counselors and worked alongside head coaches running the beginner programs, stepping into roles as instructors and role models for the youngest players on court.
That matters in a neighborhood where median household income sits around $32,000 and violence has been rising. Camp Dynamite offers a safe space, but the organization is just as focused on who is standing in it.
“USTA Florida has been a long time supporter of the MaliVai Washington Youth Foundation and its programs,” said Terri Florio, Executive Director. “We are so grateful for the support that allows us to ensure that each camper who attends our program has the equipment and the coaching that they need to have a positive tennis experience and, hopefully, continue playing long after camp has ended.”
What a grant makes possible
Program Support Grants are the USTA Florida Section Foundation’s primary tool for getting tennis into communities that want it and need help paying for it. The funding covers on-court instruction, equipment, coach training and general program support, with priority given to youth tennis, adaptive tennis for players of all ages and abilities, and programs serving under-resourced communities.
Since 2005, the Foundation has delivered more than $2.5 million in community impact, supporting programs at more than 120 organizations across Florida.
Every dollar of it comes from somewhere. Grants like the one behind Camp Dynamite are funded by individual and corporate donors, the Foundation’s recurring donor program, the US Open Experience fundraiser, and Florida’s “Play Tennis!” specialty license plate.
Applications for Program Support Grants open in two cycles each year. Learn more at ustafloridafoundation.com/apply-for-grants, or support programs like Camp Dynamite at ustafloridafoundation.com.
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