GACTA Accomplishments and Activities 2014

Overview

• GACTA appoints its first paid staff member, Addison Staples, as part-time Executive Director, effective 1/1/2014.
• GACTA website overhauled (Gainesvilletennis.org) and Aces in Motion website (acesinmotion.org)
• created
• Gainesville Community Tennis calendar developed
• GACTA and Aces in Motion Facebook presence established and maintained
• GACTA sponsors its fourth season of Middle School Tennis
• April 2014: Addison Staples attended the Change the Game conference in NYC
• April 2014: GACTA became a member of Up2Us.
• May 2014: GOWTL (day league) luncheon raffle raises $725 for GACTA.
• June, 2014: GACTA awarded a USTA Serves Grant ($10,000) to expand the Aces in Motion Tennis Outreach program in east Gainesville
• June, 2014: First Constant Contact newsletter sent out to approximately 1100 individuals
• August, 2014: GACTA holds its first annual fundraiser, The Bryan Shelton Celebration of Gainesville Tennis, Past and Present. This event raised over $25,000 for GACTA.
• Established the Dr. John J. Ross Pre-Collegiate Scholarship Fund and the McDonald Scholarship
• September 2014: GACTA was accepted into the USTA Foundation NJTL Capacity Building program
• October 2014: Addison Staples and Anne Koterba attend the Pre-TDW NJTL Capacity Building program in Atlanta
• November 2014: USTA Florida Section Foundation grant award ($7078) for expansion of the Aces in Motion program in new 21^st CCLC elementary schools and to establish a Special Olympics tennis program, based at Sidney Lanier Center.
• December 2014: Awarded USTA Foundation grant support of $12,500 to expand AIM programming at Boulware Springs Charter, Pineridge neighborhood and at T.B. McPherson. In addition, GACTA was awarded a $25,000 USTA Foundation NJTL grant to increase the capacity of our organization (expand Executive Director position to full-time and hire a program director.

Activities by Month

January

• Ball machine donated to GACTA for tennis programming at T.B. McPherson
• Aces in Motion partners with EAGY after-school program at T.B. McPherson
• Sidney Lanier outreach program begins
• City of Gainesville installs new benches at T.B. McPherson tennis courts
• Jan 22^nd: 21stCCLC elementary school student field trip to UF Men’s Tennis match vs. UNF
• Jan 29^th: UF Men’s Tennis Team visits HBMS 21^st CCLC tennis program
• 21^st CCLC tennis program continues at HBMS and Lincoln Middle Schools.
• 21^st CCLC tennis program continues at Idylwild, Lake Forest, Rawlings elementary schools

February

• Feb 8^th: First USTA Florida Community Tennis Workshop held in Gainesville
• Reichert House and EAGY after school programs continue at TB McPherson
• Feb 22^nd : First TB McPherson Play Day held

March

• March 1^st: GACTA was a vendor at the Parent Appreciation Day/Gang Awareness at Rawlings Elementary
• Aces in Motion booth at the JTC Pro Circuit Women’s Futures tournament
• March 10^th: UF Mens Tennis team volunteered at TB McPherson
• March 15-16: USTA Florida Team Tennis Challenge @ Jonesville Tennis Center
• March 27^th : Village Green Spring Break Play Day
• HBMS tennis team forms and Middle School Tennis team practices begin
• March 30th: UF Women’s Tennis Community Play Day at UF

April

• Fourth season of GACTA sponsored Middle School Tennis matches begins
• Water fountain installed at T.B. McPherson
• After school programming continues at various elementary schools and T.B. McPherson.
• April 22^nd: First Kids Count tennis clinic held in church parking lot at Rawlings site.
• April 30^th: First Kids Count tennis clinic held at TB McPherson tennis courts

May

• May 7^th: First tennis clinic held at NE 31^st Ave courts, with Kids Count
• May 7^th: Addison Staples presented AIM program at City of Gainesville Public Safety Committee meeting
• May 13^th: Tennis clinic with Woodland Park Boys and Girls Club at T.B. McPherson
• May 20^th: Racquet Award Day to Reichert House tennis program participants
• May 29-June 1^st: GACTA Middle School Tennis Tournament

June

• June 7th: AIM Field Trip to St. Augustine with Addison Staples
• Summer Heat Wave tennis program begins at MLK Center
• Tennis program at HBMS continues, led by Bessie Patterson and Chris McDonald
• 21^st CCLC 8 summer tennis program at Terwilliger, Idylwild, Lake Forest, and Rawlings elementary schools (reached over 250 students per week for 6-7 weeks)
• June 29^th: GACTA-sponsored Summer Play Days begin at Westside Park, organized by Chris McDonald
• Meetings ongoing with River Phoenix Center for Peacebuilding

July

• GACTA representatives began attending Pineridge neighborhood community meetings
• Meetings ongoing with River Phoenix Center for Peacebuilding
• July 11th: Guatemala trip, led by Addison Staples, begins
• Tennis courts resurfaced at T.B. McPherson and blended lines added to all four courts
• Summer Heatwave program continues

August

• August 5^th : Village Green Community Day with GPD (vendor)
• Partnership begins to provide tennis instruction to all students at Boulware Charter School as part of the PE program.
• Expanded partnership with Reichert House, to provide tennis instruction to both elementary and middle school students at T.B. McPherson
• Partnering with Youth Combine to provide once a week tennis instruction at HBMS.
• August 23^rd: First Annual GACTA fundraiser held, with successful, sold out Community Tennis Clinic @ DB

September

• Formed second east Gainesville 14 & Under Intermediate Team Tennis team for fall play, T.B. McPherson courts are the team’s home court
• Working with ACT/SAT tutor and PhD student, Sanethia Thomas, to provide tutoring at T.B. McPherson
• Met with new superintendent Owen Roberts to discuss Aces in Motion program

October

• October 1^st: Addison Staples attended the Education Form hosted by Plum Creek, entitled, “Preparing Our Youth for Future Opportunities: Our Shared Responsibility”
• October 10^th: First Pineridge Aces in Motion Tennis Festival held

November

• 5^th: USTA Foundation Capacity Building Convening. Addison Staples and Anne Koterba represented GACTA
• 8^th: Addison Staples represented Aces in Motion at the 4WS Network Health Expo at Pineridge
• Nov 22^nd: USTA Florida Annual Meeting. One of the original Aces in Motion participants, Keonna Perry, provided a testimonial at the Awards Dinner, explaining what tennis means to her.

December

• December 7^th: GACTA 10^th Year Anniversary Party and Annual Meeting at the Gainesville Country Club.
• December 12^th: GACTA received word that we received $12,500 in grant support from USTA Foundation to expand programming at Boulware Springs Charter, Pineridge neighborhood, and T.B. McPherson after-school program, and $25,000 in grant support from the USTA Foundation NJTL Capacity Building program.