Continuing to support the great work of local organizations
By Diana Burger, ALTA Foundation President
As we began our journey into 2021, we asked ourselves, what does the new year hold for The ALTA Foundation? The international COVID-19 pandemic has been a challenge for everyone, but it has been especially difficult for the many groups supported by The ALTA Foundation.
Whether it was populations with medical issues, groups of school kids, or our college scholarship recipients who were looking forward to the start of their freshman year, most of our groups experienced cancellations of their events and activities last year — with the notable exception of the Special Pops Fall Classic, which was able to hold an abbreviated version of its event in late October.
Looking ahead, I am hopeful that as you read this Georgia residents are getting vaccinated, and we are all finding our way back to a degree of “normal.” Further, I’m hopeful that the programs the ALTA Foundation supports will be able to get back on track, even if only in an abbreviated fashion. To that end, we are off to a good start! One of our grantees, The Henry First/American Wheelchair Championships, is already making plans to hold its 2021 event the last weekend in April.
A new organization has come to the foundation for a small grant to help them fill an emerging need in the south Atlanta area. This emerging organization, Tennis People, approached us for grant assistance at the end of 2020. Tennis People, a new 501c3 program created by long-time tennis coach and volunteer Bonnie Wainwright, is dedicated to the mentally challenged population in the Richard Craig Park/south Atlanta area. In the summer of 2020, when tennis resumed again for ALTA members, Wainwright found her Henry County Special Olympics players were not allowed to play because that organization was still unable to permit their athletes to participate in sports, due to COVID-19 restrictions. She knew these players were bored, restless, and becoming depressed because they couldn’t return to the place they love — the tennis courts. To address this issue, Wainwright decided it was time to start her own organization, and Tennis People was created. The organization currently offers tennis drills, clinics, and team tournament play opportunities to its participants throughout the year. The foundation is proud to be one of Tennis People’s grantors and looks forward to seeing it grow into a great program for its community.
Moving into this new year, the ALTA Foundation has opened up the annual college scholarship competition and is in the process of talking with each of our current and past grant recipients. We look forward to seeing their new grant requests and plans for 2021 (grant applications are located in the ALTA Foundation link of the ALTA Documents section of the altatennis.org website). In addition to existing grantees, we also welcome any other new ventures that fall into our stated mission.
As we slowly find our way back to “normal,” we will share more details about the organizations we support, including their events and activities, on the ALTA Foundation page of the ALTA website. As events are posted, we welcome you to check out the activities of these groups and help us to show them support and encouragement for the great work that they do throughout the ALTA area.
Did You Know?
For the first time, the ALTA Foundation participated in December’s Giving Tuesday on GA Gives Day 2020. The Foundation was one of 1,261 Georgia non-profit organizations to receive donations from the 260,546 very generous Georgia donors who helped to raise more than $24 million in donations on that single day. We are absolutely thrilled and grateful to the friends and fans of ALTA and the ALTA Foundation. We will use those funds to continue supporting the Atlanta area’s physically, mentally, and economically challenged organizations who utilize tennis to serve the needs of their benefactors.
Apply Now!
The ALTA Foundation’s L. Keith Wood Memorial College Scholarship fund is taking applications now!
ALTA area high school seniors who intend to attend college in the fall of 2021 are encouraged to begin applying for our annual college scholarship now. A total of $20,000 will be given to eight qualified recipients. The scholarship funds can be used for tuition, books, and housing expenses.
To apply for the 2021 ALTA Foundation scholarship, candidates should visit https://fs23.formsite.com/JM9Iha/g738ouphfz/index.html. This will open the application and guidelines for this annual scholarship opportunity. Candidates should read and follow all application guidelines carefully, and submit all requested documents in one group, no later than the deadline of Friday, April 30, 2021. Winners will be announced on Monday, May 17, 2021.
