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InnerCItytennIs

raIse

Closethe roof

the Gap

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Dear Friends,

As InnerCity Tennis (ICT) looks to the future, we are very excited about the development

of our programs serving Minneapolis children and youth. For over 60 years, ICT has

been serving kids who otherwise would not have access to youth development

programs like the ones we offer. Our innovative programming, which includes physical

activity, tennis and education, is the vehicle that inspires all youth to attain their highest

potential.

We reach approximately 4,000 young people each year, ages 3 to 18, including at-risk

kids, children of color, children from low-income families and children diagnosed on

the autism spectrum. Our programs attract diverse families from all over the city, and

through free programs and scholarships, we make sure our programs are available to

children at all income levels.

In addition to our signature Kidspeed® program, we launched two new programs

this past year:

z academic Creative engagement (aCe), a nationally accredited literacy, math and

social/emotional wellness curriculum, developed by the USTA’s National Junior

Tennis & Learning organization, in collaboration with the Search Institute.

z Cities academy, in partnership with acclaimed tennis coach John Wheaton, a

unique multi-dimensional tennis and life training program for teens.

The epicenter of our organization, and a significant source of our ongoing financial

resources, is the Reed Sweatt Family Tennis Center in the heart of South Minneapolis.

This indoor tennis center is open 7 days a week, 16 hours a day, serving an average of

3,500 players each week. After nearly 20 years, the two domes are at the end of their

useful life and need to be replaced. Our campaign will enable us to replace our domes

and meet the growing demands of our programs, to create innovative classroom space

for youth and enhance educational programming, and to secure the future of a vibrant

community organization for youth to reach their full potential.

Because of ICT, children and youth have access to programs that they normally would not.

I hope you will consider joining us to Raise the Roof and Close the Gap. Together we can

help in the development of our children and youth and strengthen our entire community!

Thank you,

Robert W. Oberrender, Board Chair

every kId Can suCCeedwith InnerCity Tennis

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ChIld poverty rates

GraduatIon rates

Native American & African populations

White students Students of color

66%

67%

Black & Asian populations

40%

39%

InnerCity Tennis was founded in 1952 by city leaders who wanted to open up the

sport of tennis to those with fewer opportunities. Today, that mission is still with us,

but those we serve are struggling with an opportunity gap that is wider than it has

been in decades. Children of color and youth living in poverty are at special risk.

Sixty percent of the children we serve at InnerCity Tennis are children of color who

represent many community cultures and speak multiple languages. Our youngest

come from the Fraser and McKnight Head Start programs, where 90 percent of those

enrolled are children of color.

InnerCity Tennis offers unique programs that provide opportunities that are missing

for many children and youth. We do this by providing instruction, play, and a setting

and curriculum that build character traits needed for success.

Last year, InnerCity Tennis served more than 4,000 young people and provided more

than $50,000 in scholarships. We provide programming at no fee to children and

kIds at rIsk

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ChIldhood obesIty

of kids ages 6–13

the rates from 1980

physICally aCtIve (at least 1 hour of activity per day)

of Minnesota children are overweight

32%

trIple 25%

of teens

16%

partner schools based on revenue generated from adults and families who use our

tennis facilities year-round for practice, lessons and tournament play. That means it’s

doubly important to keep our facilities in top

condition; our programs and the community

we serve both depend on it!

While numbers are impressive, what really

counts is our impact on an entire community.

That’s why we’re investing now to replace

our aging domes and fund infrastructure and

program expansion to provide benefits for

many years to come.

Join us now to support this community asset in

the heart of Minneapolis.

Together, we can change lives.

“based upon my youth program development work in hundreds of cities, InnerCity tennis is the best

sports-related program I have seen. Its success is measured not

by athletic achievement but by its impact on young people’s values

and life skills. InnerCity tennis grows caring and responsible

young people. It’s exactly what our society needs.”

peter benson, search Institute founder

Sources: Minneapolis Public Schools, Hennepin County SHAPE Survey

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Kidspeed® connects 3- to 7-year-olds in a dynamic, fast-paced program run at “kid

speed.” Through our unique tennis, play and learning curriculum, we ignite an

enduring love of physical activity and working with others, and we deliver this program

in a multigenerational community of supportive volunteers.

We developed our signature Kidspeed program partnership with the world-renowned

Search Institute, known for their ground-breaking work on the 40 Developmental

Assets that young people need to become

successful and contributing adults. Kidspeed

programs encompass the seven core values tied

to these developmental assets. We also deliver

programming for children with autism at three

elementary schools, providing an innovative

way to reach the growing numbers of youth

with this condition.

“Many of these children (with autism spectrum

disorder) struggle to participate in general

physical education classes and also don’t

participate in outside sports. to see them doing

athletics, building their skills, building their

confidence and having fun is truly amazing …

I believe that their experience will impact their

future interests in athletics, be it tennis or

another activity.”

Michele Glynn works with children with Autism Spectrum Disorder at Hale School in Minneapolis. Her students in Kidspeed are in grades K–3.

Core valuesservInG up

aGes 3–7

at the speed of kids

kidspeed

“all of us want the best for

our kids. the InnerCity tennis

program plays an important part

in developing into a well rounded

person. While it teaches younger

kids skills and valuable lessons

while participating, it helps older

kids grow through volunteering.”

Chris Exted is the parent of three youth

in the program.

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Core values:

teamworkresponsibility

perseverancerespectintegrity

enthusiasm

service

volunteers brIdGe the GeneratIon GapOur unique organizational model enables us to

effectively grow our programming through the

efforts of our outstanding group of volunteers. We

work with 250 volunteers of all ages, but primarily

seniors, who support staff in delivering programming

to children, both on site at our Saturday Program and

in the community through our Outreach Program. The

intergenerational relationships forged between volunteers

and children and youth are integral to the success of our

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aCe

This year, we expanded our educational programming with ACE (Academic Creative

Engagement), a nationally-accredited educational curriculum, developed by United

States Tennis Association’s National Junior Tennis and Learning.

The ACE curriculum was also developed in concert with the Search Institute and

integrates math, literacy, and social/emotional and physical wellness with tennis for

students in third to fifth grade. Our goal is

to become the premiere tennis organization

delivering ACE, evaluating impacts and

contributing to the national

development of this unique

educational approach to youth

development.

“for me, finding tennis made a big difference. My

parents wanted for me what every parent wants

for their child — to learn a sport and have a well-

rounded education. InnerCity tennis opens up

a world of opportunities for many kids

that would otherwise not have access

to the sport.”

Braulio Carrasco, of Dominican heritage, is a teacher at Emerson elementary school and connected the mostly Latino population at the Richard R. Green

Central Park School in South Minneapolis to InnerCity Tennis. Braulio also volunteers

at the Saturday Program.

kIds Who aCe ItGrades

3–5

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USTA Serves Special Report

Cities academy

of tennis program participants are engaged in their community

In 2013, we created Cities Academy in partnership with John Wheaton, a nationally

esteemed tennis coach and educator. Cities Academy is designed to provide holistic,

character-based programming for our teens to encourage them to aspire to excel to

the best of their ability, in sports, academics,

and life, as they mature through middle and

high school. With tennis as the foundation,

Cities Academy encompasses training of mind,

body and physical prowess.

“not only does Cities academy continue to advance

my daughter as a national competitive junior

player, they are advancing her with defining her

values and character that will take her so far in life.

Cities academy is teaching my child the lessons of

becoming a champion on and off the court.”

Julie Lindbloom is the parent of a daughter in Cities Academy.

raIsInG up our teens

aGes 13–18

of tennis program participants are at a healthy weight.

70%

82%

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super saturdays: Where CharaCter CountsInnerCity Tennis’ Saturday Program is an

amazing opportunity for Minneapolis families

to bring their children, starting at age three,

to engage in fast-paced exercise in a team, led

by volunteer team “captains,” set to music and

imbued with the core values and character traits

that distinguish our program. We devote our entire

11-court facility to youth – at no charge – from 3:00

to 6:00 p.m. each Saturday between mid-September and

mid-April. The older teen players volunteer to help the younger

children, alongside dozens of seniors. Each week, students learn

about commitment, teamwork, sportsmanship, perseverance and responsibility.

Saturday programs also offer another chance to teach nutrition; we serve healthy

snacks and engage in conversations about choices to fuel our bodies for sports and life.

tennIs for allbuilding community through tennis

suMMer tennIs In the parksBy numbers alone, our Summer Tennis in the Parks program is wildly successful. We

create more than 50 jobs each summer for youth, many of whom grew up learning

tennis with us. They’re hired as coaches for this program serving 23 Minneapolis parks

on the north and south sides of the city.

Approximately 1,250 kids participated in

our long-standing Summer Tennis in the

Parks program in 2013.

“I was amazed to see a flyer for the summer tennis

in the parks program with full scholarships available.

tennis was only for wealthy people in ecuador

where I grew up. We live in north Minneapolis;

unfortunately, I can’t say to my kids, go and

play outside – it can be dangerous. so for us,

the tennis helps a lot. We know that moms

are there, the coaches are there and we

feel safe in that area.”

Veronica Bedon, a native of Ecuador and mom of Gabriella, 14, and Carolina, 7, sees

her daughters growing in self-confidence, communication and tennis skills in their three years

with the Saturday and Summer programs.

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CoMMunItyIMpaCtLast year, InnerCity Tennis programs served nearly 4,000 children and youth

in Minneapolis at our tennis center, at outreach programs and at parks across

Minneapolis.

We delIvered: z More than 225 community outreach programs to children at Head Start,

Green Central and four elementary schools, free of charge to the students

and schools.

z Kidspeed® programming to children diagnosed on the autism spectrum

during the entire academic year at three Minneapolis elementary schools,

at no cost to the students or schools.

z More than $50,000 in scholarships to youth participating in Summer

Tennis in the Parks and Junior Instruction programs.

z Nutrition information and free healthy snacks to 1,200 children at

Saturday programs.

z Dedicated volunteers who donated more than 2,750

hours to help run our exceptional programming.

z Approximately 200,000,000

steps through physical activity, burning

10 million calories in 2013 alone!

“InnerCity tennis is

doing a terrific job providing

programs that really make a

difference to kids in Minneapolis. We

are contributing to this campaign because

having the infrastructure in place and in

good repair is essential to the positive

impact they make on the entire

Minneapolis community.”

Christine Nickels, Director of Community Tennis

USTA Northern

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InnerCity Tennis is evolving and expanding to serve our young participants as they

grow and develop as teens. Children start with us in Kidspeed®, our unique, fast-paced,

widely varied curriculum that puts children ages 3 to

7 through physical rigor set to fun, upbeat

music. From Kidspeed, children move up

to Tennis Fundamentals and ACE, as

we integrate tennis and academics

in a dynamic fashion to support

diverse learning styles.

Ultimately, youth move on to

participate in Cities Academy

as they progress through

middle and high school,

with a supportive emphasis

on tennis skills, academic

success and career

orientation, and the mental

tenacity and perseverance

that will propel them toward

their highest potential.

Our high-school-aged players

circle back to become coaches to

the youngest players at our Summer

Tennis in the Parks

program. Both middle

school and high school

participants volunteer and serve the young children

in our Kidspeed program, fulfilling one of our seven

goal character traits.

InnerCity “graduates” have gone on to college

and a wide range of careers, including attorneys,

educators, physicians, mental health professionals,

and yes, tennis instructors!

froM 3 to 93

kIdspeed aGes 3–7 aCe Grades 3–5

CItIes aC

ad

eMy

aG

es 13–18

hIGh perforManCe aGes 12–17

tee

n v

olu

nte

ers

suMMer proGraM

tennIs In the parks

volunteers

(all aGes)

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Artwork created by our ACE program youth using discarded name tags with a

InnerCity Tennis is undertaking a major renovation project with poignant urgency after

our especially harsh winter in 2013–14. We must replace our aging domes to continue

delivering programming that children and youth in our city depend upon. We will also

be able to increase generated revenue by enhancing infrastructure to create greater

energy efficiency and renovating to improve the customer experience. This, in turn,

allows us to increase programming work in education and youth development that

benefits 4,000 children and youth in the city of Minneapolis.

Our goal is $2.2 million, and thanks to the generous support of a few

lead donors, we have secured $840,000 in pledges. We seek

to secure an additional $500,000 by July 1, 2014,

allowing us to place our order for the domes in

time for the domes to be installed during

our slowest period, the last two weeks in

August. Dome replacement, with new

lights, HVAC, and electrical and

environmental controls, will cost

approximately $1.3 million.

An additional $1 million

will fund expansion of our

ACE and Cities Academy

programs and renovate

the common areas of

the facility by early

autumn 2014.

Close the GapWe’re raIsInG the roof to

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JoIn the effortWe are excited to speak to individuals and

organizations who are committed to serving our

children and youth through this proven, responsive

community program. With your support, InnerCity

Tennis will be here to serve Minneapolis families

for decades to come. Please call us to schedule a

personal visit to learn more or to make a pledge.

Get In touChSamantha Smart Merritt

Executive Director

4005 Nicollet Avenue South

Minneapolis, MN 55409

(612) 655-5363

samantha@innercitytennis.org

thank you to our lead donorsGage family foundation

Carlson family foundation

ronald and Joan Cornwell

Wheelock Whitney and kathleen blatz

robert and Jane oberrender

usta northern

Jann ozzello Wilcox and John Wilcox

Ellen Doll and Jay Swanson

EJ and Nicole McNulty

Samantha Smart Merritt

Will and Karen Prest

David Sommer Family Fund of the Minneapolis Foundation

Linda Stratton

Lori and Christopher Van Holmes

Amy and Alex Ware

David and Lisa Weigman

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InnerCItytennIswww.innercitytennis.org