Number 76
WTA Foundation Supports CA Tennis Communities Impacted by Wildfires
Featured Focus:
Disaster Relief, Community Programs, Direct Financial Support
Scope of Impact: Local
The WTA Foundation stepped up when California's tennis communities faced devastation from recent wildfires. Recognizing the profound impact on local programs and facilities, the Foundation mobilized quickly to provide crucial support. Here’s the breakdown:
Targeted Financial Aid: The Foundation, alongside partners like WTA Legends Gigi Fernandez and Alexandra Stevenson, directed funds towards immediate rebuilding efforts. This included a $10,000 donation to support displaced student-athletes from Palisades Charter High School.
Community Rebuilding Focus: Gigi Fernandez, through her "Tennis for Hope" initiative (fiscally sponsored by the WTA Foundation), raised $50,000. These funds were specifically allocated to help rebuild the hard-hit Palisades Tennis Center and assist the Altadena tennis community.
Beyond the Physical: The foundation organized a trip to the Indian Wells BNP Paribas Open, providing vital emotional uplift to high school students and a sense of normalcy during a challenging recovery period.
We applaud how swiftly the WTA Foundation went into crisis-response mode to assist the CA communities, especially the youth, affected by the Palisades and Altadena fires. With so many other organizations working on generalized aid, the Foundation was able to focus on rebuilding specific facilities like the Palisades Tennis Center, and assisting communities in Altadena that were severely impacted.
We say it often, and we’ll repeat it again: sports can bring people together in the toughest of times. By focusing on its core community, the WTA Foundation was able to quickly support young players and teams who lost it all. They recognized that the faster they could refurbish courts, the quicker a sense of normalcy could resume — and the more long-term connections they’d build between families and the sport. Of course, the trip to the BNP Paribas Open for local high school students was another great gesture to help provide a bright spot in really challenging times.
We also appreciate tennis legends contributed to the effort, highlighting how this initiative was a well-planned, all-hands on-deck-response by the WTA Foundation.
YOUR NEXT PLAY:
Food for thought — if a crisis were to hit your communities tomorrow, are you set up in a way that allows you to quickly pivot to offer dedicated support while staying true to your mission?
The foundation’s official site, detailing its philanthropic goals, programs, and mission, which is to empower girls and women through promoting equality, education, leadership, and health & wellness.
Sports Illustrated covered covers Palisades High basketball teams' return to play after the wildfires burned much of the surrounding community and parts of the schools’ campus.
The USTA of Southern California shares stories about how teams in Altadena and Malibu brought their grit and courage to the court after the fires.
The LA Tennis Centers helped fundraise to rebuild the facility that was damaged by the fires.
Gigi Fernandez's nonprofit “unites the tennis community to bring hope and support to people in need by harnessing the shared love of the game.”
Podcast host Alexandra Stevenson, who fled the Malibu fires, talks about the immediate impact, and aftermath, of the destruction.
