USTA Foundation Named Official Charity of the 2016 BNP Paribas Showdown

December 16, 2015 | By New York Tennis Magazine Staff
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USTA Foundation, the national charitable organization of the USTA, has announced that it has been selected by sports marketing and entertainment company StarGames Inc. and MSG promoters as the official charity of the 2016 BNP Paribas Showdown. This is the third consecutive year the USTA Foundation will serve as the event’s official charity.

The BNP Paribas Showdown will take place March 8, 2016 at Madison Square Garden in New York City in celebration of World Tennis Day. To help kick off World Tennis Day, the USTA Foundation will host a fundraising and awards reception with the BNP Paribas Showdown players, including 21-time Grand Slam champion Serena Williams, on March 7, 2016 at the Essex House Hotel in New York City.

Serena was recently named Sports Illustrated’s 2015 “Sportsperson of the Year,” marking the first time an individual female athlete has been awarded the prestigious title since Mary Decker in 1983. The BNP Paribas Showdown, now in its ninth year, also will feature two-time U.S. Open finalist Caroline Wozniacki and two of tennis’ top-ranked men’s singles players including world number four and two-time Grand Slam champion Stan Wawrinka and world number 24 and two-time U.S. Open quarterfinalist Gael Monfils.

The USTA Foundation World Tennis Day Awards Celebration will raise funds to support the organization’s funding of scholarships and programming grants to under-resourced youth attending tennis and education programs around the country, primarily through the National Junior Tennis and Learning (NJTL) network.

Guests will be entertained by renowned performance painter and finalist from NBC’s “America’s Got Talent” David Garibaldi, who will create an original painting during the event. The piece will be featured in a live auction prior to the conclusion of the event.

“The BNP Paribas Showdown is a great platform for the USTA Foundation to share its message of using tennis to provide safe, healthy and educational opportunities for youth across America,” said Dan Faber, executive director of the USTA Foundation. “We are grateful to StarGames and MSG for once again selecting our organization as the official charity for the BNP Paribas Showdown. It demonstrates that they believe in our work and the positive impact it provides. Together, we are serving up dreams through the sport of tennis.”

The USTA Foundation supports programs nationwide that leverage tennis, education and life skills to prepare under-resourced youth for college and beyond. To date, the Foundation has awarded more than $19 million, benefitting thousands of children and adults through tennis, education and health programs and college scholarships.

"The USTA Foundation's efforts in providing educational support go hand-in-hand with the objectives of World Tennis Day,” said Jerry Solomon, executive producer of the BNP Paribas Showdown and creator of World Tennis Day. “Tennis serves as a medium for delivering many positive messages to people around the world. We applaud the USTA Foundation for its efforts and are honored to have them as our partner once again."


New York Tennis Magazine Staff
Centercourt
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