Philadelphia's Arthur Ashe Youth Tennis & Education Named International Public Tennis Facility of the Year

PHILADELPHIA, Jan. 29 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Arthur Ashe Youth Tennis and Education in Philadelphia has been selected as Public
Facility/Organization of the Year by the Professional Tennis Registry (PTR) and its national and international affiliates, the United States Tennis
Association (USTA) and the International Tennis Federation (ITF). The announcement was made today by Dennis Van der Meer, President and Founder
of Professional Tennis Registry.
   
"It's quite an honor to be considered for an International Award and Arthur Ashe Youth Tennis and Education is to be commended for its many
achievements. I'm very much aware of the influence and impact that this organization has made on the growth of the game of tennis and more
importantly, on the youth that it serves," declared Van der Meer.

Former New York City Mayor David Dinkins, who serves on the Board of both PTR and USTA, will officially present the award to AAYTE Executive
Director Scott Tharp at the PTR's International Tennis Symposium on February 19 at Hilton Head Island, SC.
    
"This honor belongs to all those who dreamed of a Youth Tennis Center where kids could train and rise to their potential, not only as tennis
players but as solid human beings," said AAYTE Board Chairman Robert A. Swift. "The Arthur Ashe Center is a new destination for the City and Region
in the heart of Fairmount Park. Its 16 tennis courts and classroom are bricks and mortar at their finest. When the Center fills with kids, it is a
melting pot, overflowing with joy and resonating with aspirations of what can be."

Arthur Ashe Youth Tennis and Education (http://www.ashetennis.org), founded in 1952, is a national model for imaginative, public youth tennis and
educational enrichment programs. Providing new opportunities to an at-risk and diverse population, AAYTE delivers first-class tennis instruction,
fitness, health and nutrition training, equipment, tutoring, computer science, library services, along with its nationally acclaimed life skills
curriculum to young people ages 4 to 21, mostly coming from underserved, low-income communities. The new $12.5 million Center at Ridge Ave. and
School House Lane, is dedicated exclusively to serve children, the only facility of its type in the country. The non-profit organization is supported through contributions and grants from corporations, businesses,
foundations and the general public.