About Norwalk Grassroots Tennis
The challenge of neglected and alienated inner-city children continues to confront our country. America is responding with community based after-school programs where trained and caring adults provide structure, skills and encouragement to these children. Norwalk Grassroots Tennis is part of this response. Through tennis, we work to improve the youngsters understanding and acceptance of rules, their courtesy, self confidence and powers of observation and concentration...and several of our players have achieved junior USTA rankings and school scholarships. Most importantly, we have seen many children become more courteous, more considerate and more skilled players.
Our program began in 1995. It operates on tennis courts at the two largest properties of the Norwalk Housing Authority. In each of the last two years over 400 children participated, almost all are members of minority groups. All are economically disadvantaged. The program is entirely free to the children. We provide everything without charge...instruction equipment, competitions and occasional trips.
Norwalk Grassroots Tennis has won awards from the USTA both as an outstanding beginners program, and as the 2003 Community Tennis Association of The Year in New England. Tennis Week magazine selected us as one of the 25 outstanding Community Tennis Associations in the United States. The number of children participating in our program has steadily increased. We have acquired and retained the confidence of our partners in the community: The Norwalk Housing Authority, the Norwalk Police Activities League, A.C.H.I.E.V.E, and the administration of the City of Norwalk.
We are glad to say that in 2007 we played an important part in assisting grassroots programs in Bridgeport, Danbury, and Stamford. We look forward in the near future to a mutually supportive league among these programs of boys and girls teams, not only competing against each other, but also extending the reach of tennis to children across the entire county. Our policy is to provide the children year round with as many hours of tennis as possible.
We operate every weekday afternoon during the school year when weather permits from 4:00 to 6:00 p.m. at each of our two sites. In summer our hours are from 10:00 to 12:00 and from 2:00 to 6:00 every weekday at both sites. In winter, we offer tennis indoors after school at the Roodner Community Center and on Saturday at a Darien indoor tennis club.
We are incorporated as a Section 501 (c) 3 tax exempt organization and support our budget entirely through solicitation of private contributors, foundation grants, local businesses, the Norwalk PAL, and the USTA. The cost of our program was $130,000 in 2007. We solicit the financial support of all those who are concerned with the welfare of inner-city children. Every contribution will be used carefully to benefit and assist these children to a better future.
Our Staff
We have a paid staff of qualified instructors. Our Director, David Kimani was formerly the Captain of the Kenyan National Junior Tennis team and, after he came to the United States, a full time professional at the King’s Highway Tennis Club in Darien. He holds a Masters degree in sports management from Springfield College, Mass. In addition we have trained six young players who have come up through our program who now work as paid instructors for beginners. We also benefit from the good will of “tennis mentors,” men and women who are accomplished players and who volunteer their time to assist the staff.
Player Profiles
Antonio Passarelle aka T.C.
“Hey you guys, how would you like to learn to play the game of tennis?”
Dave Kimani was trying to recruit some players for an inner city tennis program. Most of the boys were between ten and twelve years old. With nothing else to do the group agreed to follow Dave to the project’s tennis facility. Among the group was a six year old, T.C., who had enough athletic ability to fit in easily with the rest. There T.C. began his tennis career which would take him on a path he would never have followed otherwise. He had never even heard of tennis before that day.
Today, eleven years later, T.C. is a high school senior, the captain of the Brian McMahon tennis team and its number one player. He is responsible for bringing along other players who, like him, probably would not have ever played the game. During the winter he has captained the Norwalk Aces in the USTA winter program. All are players who have come through the Norwalk Grassroots Tennis (NGT) program.
In response to the question of how NGT has affected his life, T.C. did not mention his considerable tennis ability.
"I’ve met a lot of good people like Art Goldblatt and Dave Kimani who have been role models for me. One of the most influential, Ed Fogarty, became more of a friend than a role model.He saw me playing at Colonial Village and offered to help me with my game. As we got to know each other better, he wanted to see me succeed in other areas of my life, going so far as to finance educational materials to ensure my achieving academically. Even though he now lives in Maine, I still talk to him by phone a couple of times a month."
"These guys have given me a focus on what’s important in life, keeping me away from things I’ve seen happen to too many of my friends. I know I wouldn’t even think about going to college next year without this program and their influence." (T.C. has his eyes on the University of Texas – Arlington next year.)
"NGT has also allowed me to travel and meet people from outside of Norwalk – I hadn’t even left Norwalk until I went to a NGT sponsored tennis camp. The people and players I’ve met on this and other trips have made me more aware of the world outside of Norwalk and have contributed to the maturity and leadership qualities that come with being named captain of the Norwalk Aces and Brian McMahon tennis teams.”
Win or lose on the tennis court, T.C. is going to be a winner in the game of life.
Board of Directors
- Art Goldblatt, President
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- Roy Anderson, Vice-President
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- Lynn Bush, Secretary
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- Allen Levenson, Treasurer
- Al Belcher
- James Biggs
- Wally Cook
- David Demarest
- Jacques DeSpoelberch
- Jay Dulberg
- Edward Fogarty
- Peter Gogolak
- John Hammill
- Merrideth Hammill
- Bob Kellman
- Alex Knopp
- Blaine Levenson
- Sharon Macey
- M. William Macey Jr.
- Candace Mayer
- Tracy McEvoy
- Claire Mezidor
- Pierce O’Neil
- Cathy Osterhout
- Richard Packer
- Peg Perez
- John Schmidt
- Alex Seaver
- Wendell Simms
- Harlan Stone
- Joe Watson
