WTA Tennis reports that WTA legend Martina Navratilova was presented with the Shining Star Award by the Harlem Junior Tennis and Education Program at a charity gala in New York City on Monday.
Also present was USTA president and chairman of the board Katrina Adams, who also serves at the executive director of the HJTEP.
The gala, held annually each spring, raises funds to benefit the organization through silent and live auctions.
This year’s gala exceeded the funds raised from last year’s edition, and singer and actress Vanessa Williams was honored alongside Navratilova with the Robert Holland, Jr. Award.
CBS News correspondent DeMarco Morgan served as the master of ceremonies.
The Harlem Junior Tennis and Education Program (HJTEP), a not-for-profit organization, provides an opportunity for inner-city boys and girls, ages 7-18, to learn the game of tennis.
HJTEP brings tennis to youth from high-risk, low-income neighborhoods and offers opportunities for self-development, emphasizing education and a positive code of behavior.
HJTEP also offers academic support for its athletes, and the organization states that 90 percent of its participants earn a high school diploma, compared to the 67 perecent of students citywide and only 25 percent in Central Harlem.
HJTEP also offers academic support for its athletes, and the organization states that 90 percent of its participants earn a high school diploma, compared to the 67 perecent of students citywide and only 25 percent in Central Harlem.
Twenty-five percent of the program’s students earn tennis scholarships to leading colleges, while 65 percent also receive non-athletic financial aid.
Photo Via Harlem Junior Tennis & Education Program
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