Thirteen District youths go as guests of Venus and Serena Williams

Washington, DC - Thirteen District students participating in the Southeast Tennis and Learning Center summer tennis instructional program will depart on Sunday, August 26, and travel to New York City to attend the first two-days of the US Open Tennis Tournament on Monday, August 27 and Tuesday, August 28, held at the at the USTA National Tennis Center in Flushing Meadows, Queens, New York.

IMG, an international sports management company, and agent for Venus and Serena Williams and the USTA provided the complimentary tickets to the students while Reebok is providing apparel for the youth.

“Once again we have an example of how creative partnerships can expand opportunities for District residents”, says Neil Albert, Director of DC Parks and Recreation. “We thank Venus and Serena along with IMG, the Recreation Wish List Committee, and Reebok for making this trip possible for the District’s young people who have worked so hard all summer learning the game of tennis.”

The US Open, which celebrates its 120th anniversary this year, is the richest professional tennis event in the world open to amateurs and professionals.

The Southeast Tennis and Learning Center is a combination tennis and learning complex that boasts six outdoor and four indoor tennis courts, a computer room, classrooms, a multi-media room, a fitness room, a community room, locker rooms, a tennis pro shop, and a playground. The Center, located at 701 Mississippi Avenue, SE, is the first in the District of Columbia that is tennis and technology focused.

The grand opening of the Center included a ribbon cutting ceremony with Mayor Anthony A. Williams and tennis stars Venus and Serena Williams, who also conducted free tennis clinics along with former tennis pros Zina Garrison and Pam Shriver.

The $5.1 million public facility was the brainchild of former first lady Cora Masters Barry, founder and President of the nonprofit Recreation Wish List Committee of Washington, DC, and was the result of a seven-year public/private partnership between DC Parks and Recreation and the Recreation Wish List Committee.

For more information about the US Open trip, or the Southeast Tennis and Learning Center, call (202) 673-7660 or see the DC Parks and Recreation Web Site at: www.dpr.dc.gov.