(Florence, S.C., January 21, 2008) The Florence Tennis Association will receive a United States Tennis Association 2008 Program Grant of $6000 to develop and initiate an introductory tennis program for Hispanic children in the Florence area. The grant will be used to fund the first first year of Abriendo Puertas (Opening Doors), a weekend and summer program that will be launched this spring. According to FTA Executive Committee member Mario Canelon, the program will utilize a special training format called Quick Start that starts youngsters out with reduced-scale courts and equipment that make learning tennis more fun. “With this format,” he added, “kids learn quickly in a relatively non-competitive environment.” Rose Manelli, another FTA Executive Committee member, noted that the organization plans to work closely with St. Anthony’s Church, which has a large number of Hispanic families among its parishioners, but the program will welcome all Hispanic youth between the ages of 6 and 16.

The FTA, an all-volunteer nonprofit organization which is committed to growing the game of tennis and making it accessible to everyone, has a long history of minority-oriented programs. For a number of years it has provided introductory clinics for largely minority groups through the Boys and Girls Club, and last year, in coordination with Africa-American community leaders, it initiated the Genesis tennis program, which serves teenagers who need additional community support. In addition to these targeted programs, the FTA conducts and supports a wide variety of junior tournaments and youth activities for Pee Dee area children and adolescents.

Hispanic parents who would like to know more about this program can contact Rose Manelli, who speaks Spanish, at 843-206-2646.

Strong Pitching Has RedWolves in First Place
(Florence, SC, June 8, 2008) First place in the Coastal Plain League’s Southern Division is not really that surprising to the Florence RedWolves. What is surprising is the route the team has taken to get there in the early going. The RedWolves have ridden their pitching to a 5-1 start.