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ORLANDO, Fla. – The USTA has announced the four award winners who were honored during the annual USTA Next Generation Workshop, Oct. 13-15, at the Renaissance Orlando at Sea World in Orlando, Fla. The honorees were recognized in a variety of categories for their dedication to growing the game. This year’s honorees are:

Eve F. Kraft Community Service Award

The USTA bestows the Eve F. Kraft Community Service Award upon individuals who perpetuate Kraft’s selfless mission to bring the sport of tennis to everyone who wants to play. Eve F. Kraft was a tennis pioneer whose ability to touch people’s lives exceeded the boundaries of the tennis court. As a teacher, coach, author, USTA staff member and volunteer, Kraft was a lifelong champion of recreational tennis in the United States until her death in 1999. She introduced thousands of young people to tennis, particularly in disadvantaged communities. This year’s winner is:

Hollis Smith, Indio, Calif.

Janet Louer USTA Jr. Team Tennis Organizer of the Year

The USTA bestows the Janet Louer USTA Jr. Team Tennis Organizer of the Year Award upon an individual who positively influences children’s lives and substantially impacts their community. The award is named after Janet Louer, who was instrumental in the development of junior tennis during her lifetime. This year’s winner is:

Deby Caldwell, Columbus, Ga.

Community Tennis Association of the Year

The Community Tennis Association of the Year Award honors a CTA for outstanding service in growing and developing the sport of tennis in its community. The award recipient is selected from 17 nominees, one from each of the USTA sections, by a panel of USTA Community Tennis Association Committee members. This year’s winner is:

Columbus Regional Tennis Association, Columbus, Ga.

National Junior Tennis & Learning Chapters of the Year

The USTA bestows the National Junior Tennis & Learning (NJTL) Chapters of the Year Awards to chapters and programs to reward those organizations that are able to do more with less. Founded in 1969 by Arthur Ashe, along with Charlie Pasarell and Sheridan Snyder, the USTA/National Junior Tennis & Learning (NJTL) network is a nation-wide group of more than 600 non-profit youth development organizations that provide free or low cost tennis, education and life skills programming to more than 250,000 children each year making it one of the USTA’s largest community-based offerings. This year’s winners are:

East Palo Alto Tennis & Tutoring (EPATT), Palo Alto, Calif.

The USTA is the national governing body for the sport of tennis in the U.S. and the leader in promoting and developing the growth of tennis at every level — from local communities to the highest level of the professional game. A not-for-profit organization with more than 715,000 members, it invests 100% of its proceeds in growing the game. It owns and operates the US Open, one of the highest-attended annual sporting events in the world, and launched the US Open Series, linking seven summer WTA and ATP World Tour tournaments to the US Open. In addition, it owns approximately 90 Pro Circuit events throughout the U.S. and selects the teams for the Davis Cup, Fed Cup, Olympic and Paralympic Games. The USTA’s philanthropic entity, the USTA Foundation, provides grants and scholarships in addition to supporting tennis and education programs nationwide to benefit under-resourced youth through the National Junior Tennis & Learning (NJTL) network. For more information about the USTA, go to USTA.com or follow the official accounts on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and Snapchat.