Annual 2022 Report

We had a great year in 2022. Highlights include doubling the amount of students we give financial assistance to, with weekly clinics and tennis/fitness lessons; launching our educational component: Introspections; visiting the US Open; hiring a full time Program Director, and meeting our 2022 fundraising goals -thanks to our amazing donors! We are very excited about our motivated group of mentors who are stepping up and helping with our educational workshops, coaching at tournaments, and checking in with kids weekly to help in any way they can. The brotherhood that is forming between our first cohort is truly amazing and the camaraderie is already helping them feel less isolated and more supported on and off the court. In 2023 we will expand our reach with recruitment through partnerships with community organizations such as Sportsmen's Tennis Club and the Boy's and Girls Clubs of Boston. We are happy with our progress, but we have much more work to carry out the ABF mission. Thank you all for sharing in that work!

STUDENTS

  • in 2022 we sponsored 8 students with clinic fees, private lessons, fitness lessons, tournament fees, racquets, bags, and shoes.

  • They played in 27 USTA/UTR tournaments, including the New England Sectionals

  • Many of them increased their USTA/UTR rankings and won their first L6 and L5 tournaments.

  • Multiple students have received high achievements in school and are focused on applying to independent schools.

EDUCATION

In 2022 we launched our education program. “Introspections” is a 16-hour cultural and identity training where the boys increase self-awareness and begin to find their voices through public speaking. Utilizing a student centered, participatory approach, ABF youth engage in academic activities that explore who they are, where they come from, where they are going and how to get there. Through a variety of teaching methods we equip our young people with the knowledge, skills and courage to achieve their best selves on and off the tennis court. The Fall 2022 pilot was a success and our plan for 2023 is to add financial literacy workshops, which aim to build knowledge, skills, and confidence for young people to make sound money decisions.

As an organization we also aim to help our boys and their families create better educational opportunities. This year we assisted in the process of transferring to schools with higher academic standards and are also helping with the application process to independent schools.

 

US OPEN TRIP

We were happy to take some of the boys to the US Open this year. The vision for ABF is to create a brotherhood and bond to help these youth feel like they are apart of something bigger than just the sport, and this trip definitely helped towards that goal. We were able to watch the best players up close (actually in the front row in Armstrong!) and also walk the streets of New York, which was the first time for some of them. This was the first of many exciting plans we have to foster team building and fellowship through off court events.

PROGRAM DIRECTOR

Chad Bright-Reason joined ABF officially as full time Program Director this spring. He has worked hard to develop the programming by organizing each of our boys’ tennis schedules and coordinating transportation when needed. He’s also increased our partnerships with different tennis organizations that can benefit the progress of our kids, such as Sportsmen’s Tennis Center, The Weymouth Club, Dedham Health and Athletic Club, and Longwood. He’s also engaged a group of mentors and role models for the boys to develop relationships with and to learn from. Chad was also very instrumental in pulling together the curriculum for Introspections, conducting the workshops, and securing a location at 350 Granite St. at one of the FoxRock properties to host the classes. Chad is constantly strategically planning ways that ABF can grow and have its intended impact .

FUNDRAISING

Our first full fundraising effort was incredible. We raised just over $160,000 through January of 2022 to help us fulfill our mission of changing the lives of Black and Brown tennis players in greater-Boston. Donors were primarily from the ABF Board’s personal networks, but we’re excited to extend those efforts in 2023 to corporate sponsors and grants opportunities.