It was a blessed day for Tennis Jamaica and the sport itself last Wednesday when the official signing ceremony of the donor agreement between the American Friends of Jamaica (AFJ) and Tennis Jamaica (TJ) took place at the US Ambassador’s residence in Kingston.

The AFJ, a charitable organisation (a 501, 3 non-profit corporation) built on the principles of service and philanthropy, works with a broad coalition of Jamaican organisations and stakeholders in the USA to bring about positive changes in the lives of Jamaicans in need.

The AFJ has agreed to facilitate donations on behalf of Tennis Jamaica; to fix and upgrade tennis facilities at schools and promote the sport at all levels by tapping into the networks of old boys and girls in the USA diaspora and from those who have benefitted greatly from tennis scholarships over the years.

The AFJ, partnering with Tennis Jamaica, will give a boost in their efforts to take tennis to as many basic, primary and high schools as possible. The funds donated will also support the existing partnership between TJ and the Early Childhood Commission in bringing tennis to basic schools. Tennis is a sport which, especially in the four-to-five year-old-age group, enhances development of the brain, self-esteem, gross motor development and visual-perception skills.

Tennis has indeed created opportunities for Jamaican children from all walks of life and it’s about “giving back to the sport” that has paved the way to further education for so many.

The importance of donating funds to schools where children used to play but where now facilities are badly in need of repair/upgrade or, where a tennis coach is urgently required but the budget is stretched, cannot be over-emphasised.

To this end, Tennis Jamaica through the AFJ, intends to begin raising funds from donors in the United States for the purposes of bringing back tennis whilst at the same time, providing opportunities for young Jamaicans to earn scholarships as a vehicle to further education.

Tennis Jamaica now looks forward to great strides being made in the sport from hereon in.

Former US Ambassador to Jamaica and current AFJ president Brenda LaGrange-Johnson (left) sits with current US Ambassador to Jamaica Pamela Bridgewater during a ceremony at the residence of the US Ambassador last week Wednesday.