"When the Masai, famous African tribesmen known for their intelligence and skill as warriors, meet each other their traditional greeting is, Kasserian ingera, which means "And how are the children?" This is the question that concerns me and it is why I have been at the helm of the Junior Tennis Clinic, Inc (JTC) for more than 22 years."

When I was 19 years old, a college instructor put a tennis racquet in my hand and I fell in love with and developed a passion for the game. Many years later I shared this passion with my son and his friends by teaching them the sport. But I didn't stop with my own. I wanted to share tennis with children who might otherwise not be exposed to it. And so the Junior Tennis Clinic was born. Since its inception, we've provided year-round free or low-cost tennis instruction to more than 3,000 boys and girls from diverse backgrounds throughout Central Brooklyn. Our students range in age from 6 to 18 and they are primarily from low-income households, many of which are headed by single parents. JTC prides itself on reaching out to youth of all races and backgrounds because we hope that if kids get to know each other as kids, perhaps they'll break down the barriers that separate us as adults.

And how are the children? I can say without hesitation that we take excellent care of our students. We provide quality tennis instruction utilizing coaches who train at the Unites States Professional Tennis Association (USPTA), and the United States Tennis Association/Eastern Tennis Association's recreational coaches workshops. are rigorous. They include pre-game exercises, such as footwork drills, Our classes stretching and jumping rope, that teach children the proper way to warm-up their muscles before playing tennis. Students learn that to avoid injury and maximize their game, they've got to prepare the body before going onto the court.

And how are the children? There's an African proverb, "It takes a village to raise a child." We pride ourselves on developing well-rounded young people by exposing them to structured activities that enlighten and help build social skills. Our children require support in a number of areas, so over the years, the Junior Tennis Clinic has sponsored after school academic enrichment programs, providing youth with free homework assistance and tutoring. Academics and sports go hand-in-hand. In order to be a successful athlete, you've got to be able to concentrate and focus and these are the same skills you need to succeed in school. So at JTC, we teach our students that the techniques they are learning on the court can be used in the classroom. To see a youngster developing concentration and focus is great because they are learning skills that will last a lifetime. Field trips are also an integral part of our program design. Yearly, our youth attend Arthur Ashe Kid's Day at the U.S. Open where they get to participate in fun tennis activities with youngsters from across the country.

And how are the children? To raise healthy happy children you must involve the parents. The parents of JTC students demonstrate their commitment by joining our Board of Directors and our Parents Committee, an arm of the organization that supports JTC in key areas, including fundraising and recruitment. But with the rate of obesity rising amongst all age groups, it's important that adults also have the opportunity to participate in structured sports lessons at affordable prices. JTC's newest initiative is to create a separate adult tennis program that will provide low-cost lessons to parents of children enrolled in our program, as well as to adults in the community at-large.

And how are the children? I often think about the kids in our program. If we weren't around, where would they go? What would they be doing? That's why I'm happy that the Junior Tennis Clinic has provided more than 22 years of uninterrupted tennis instruction. Our goal is to offer classes for at least another 50 years. There are very few opportunities in our community for youth to engage in supervised sports. Physical education classes in schools have been drastically reduced, so the Junior Tennis Clinic is not just a nice idea, it is an important program that answers a very real need for our kids to engage in structured fitness activities in a safe, nurturing environment. I'm proud of what we have achieved over the years with our dedicated Board of Directors, Parents Committee, coaching staff, volunteers and donors. Together, we can raise our voices in unison and respond to the traditional Masai greeting with the traditional Masai response, "All the children are well." Mel Swanson, Executive Director and Co-Founder of the Junior Tennis Clinic, Inc.

About JTC's Executive Director and Co-founder
(A graduate of Hunter College, Mel Swanson was coached by Sidney Llewelyn, who also coached Althea Gibson, the first African American to win grand slam events such as Wimbledon and the U.S. Open.) Mr. Swanson is a member of the USPTA and a former secretary of the United States Tennis Association's (USTA) management committee. He was the boys and girls tennis coach at the Dalton School in Manhattan and taught tennis in the after school program at Manhattan's Trinity School. Mr. Swanson has worked for the USTA, training physical education teachers to start school-based tennis programs. He has conducted tennis programs for the New York Families for Autistic Children, Inc, worked as a coach and instructor for the New York Junior Tennis League and is a tennis instructor at the New York Sports Club in Cobble-Hill Brooklyn. Mr. Swanson combines teaching tennis with a full-time career as an operations coordinator at CBS Television Network where he has been employed for more than 30 years.

About JTC's Board of Directors
JTC's Board of Directors meets monthly and is comprised of dedicated community members, parents and former JTC students, many of whom have worked in the corporate sector in key areas such as finance, marketing and information technology. Board members also have backgrounds in psychology and guidance counseling.

About JTC's Classes
JTC is the only organization providing low-cost tennis instruction to youth in the Brooklyn communities we serve. In the fall and winter, 75 to 100 students receive two hours of semi-private tennis lessons at Pratt Institute. In the spring and summer, students take ten hours of outdoor classes weekly at Fort Greene Park on weekends and weekdays.

Students learn to identify the parts of the court such as the baseline, service line and service boxes, how to control and track the ball, the fundamentals, such as forehand, backhand, ground strokes, basic volley, hitting targets and how to score games. Our latest initiative is the creation of an advanced level of instruction that will provide students with extra coaching and court time to prepare them for competitive match play in tournaments sponsored by the USTA. Looking ahead, JTC's vision for the future is to start a two-week summer tennis camp where youth can hone their skills. JTC's major goal is to own and operate a tennis academy in Brooklyn with indoor and outdoor tennis courts that will provide our students and the community with expanded access to the game.

About JTC's Donors
JTC is a 501 (c ) (3) not-for-profit organization that yearly sponsors several fundraisers to augment the private and public support we receive. We are grateful to the following institutions for the financial support and material goods they have provided the Junior Tennis Clinic over the years.