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USPTA and ThanksUSA continue Thank the Troops

March 27, 2013

As part of “Tennis Thanks the Troops,” the United States Professional Tennis Association and ThanksUSA will continue to team up to encourage USPTA professionals to fund scholarships for the families of military men and women.

The nationwide campaign which was launched in 2012, has the support of Men’s Doubles Champions and No. 1- ranked doubles team Bob and Mike Bryan and WTA Tour’s previously No. 1-ranked doubles player and US Open Doubles Champion Lisa Raymond as spokespersons. Click here for a public service announcement created by the Bryan Brothers to support Tennis Thanks The Troops that was featured on Tennis Channel.

USPTA members can help by donating a portion of their lessons or clinic fees taught during Memorial Day Weekend 2013 (or any other weekend/date). USPTA Professionals can provide the opportunity for their students and club members to donate $5 for the cause or they can run a simple round robin or other event with all or a portion of the proceeds being donated to ThanksUSA. The club raising the most money for the ThanksUSA charity will receive two tickets to the US Open and the opportunity to send their pro to New York, including airlines and hotel.

For more information visit uspta.com or ThanksUSA.org.

“There’s certainly lots of attention on supporting those initiatives that help our troops of late and rightfully so,” said USPTA CEO John Embree. “As an association, we intend to do our part using pros who are community-minded and want to show their dedication to the military by making a valuable contribution to those efforts.”

Through Lessons for Life, which became USPTA’s national charitable program in 1999, the USPTA encourages its members to use tennis as a vehicle to help others through fundraising activities in their communities. The collaboration with ThanksUSA is an added component of the program, and one that strives to mobilize USPTA members to raise funds to help families of military personnel, specifically by providing scholarships.

“ThanksUSA’s partnership with the USPTA is a profound example of how much Americans treasure our troops and recognize the sacrifices they and their families make to keep those of us here at home safe,” said ThanksUSA CEO and Chair Bob Okun. “Your help gives our returning soldiers and those still in danger zones the ability to ensure that the futures of their children and spouses are made equally secure through education.”

In the past year alone, ThanksUSA received 1,800 applications from the spouses and children of our armed forces. While ThanksUSA was able to provide 300 scholarships valued at $3,000 each, the organization could only meet a small portion of the need among deserving applicants. In 2013, ThanksUSA seeks to award at least 500 scholarships totaling $1.5 million.

ThanksUSA’s scholarship program is unique in that both spouses and children of active-duty men and women can apply to the same organization for support. The scholarships are need-based — enabling those who most need and deserve the opportunity to transform their lives through higher education the opportunity to do so. Since ThanksUSA’s inception in 2006, it has awarded 2,800 scholarships for a total value of almost $8.5 million.

Scholarship recipients represent all military branches — Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps, Coast Guard, National Guard and Reserve — and come from each of the 50 states and the District of Columbia.

About the USPTA: Founded in 1927, USPTA strives to raise the standards of the tennis profession while promoting greater awareness of the sport. USPTA offers nearly 70 professional benefits to its more than 15,000 members worldwide, including certification and professional development. With more than 300 days of educational opportunities throughout the year, USPTA offers the most comprehensive continuing education program in the tennis industry. For more information, call 800-877-8248 or visit uspta.com.

About ThanksUSA: ThanksUSA is a non-partisan, charitable effort to mobilize Americans of all ages to “thank” the men and women of the United States armed forces. We’re doing that by providing college, technical and vocational school scholarships for their children and spouses. For more information, visit thanksusa.org.