Rodney Street Tennis and Tutoring Association Nets ComCast Family of Companies as Principal Sponsor
January 13, 2009
Wilmington, DE, January 9, 2009 – Rodney Street Tennis and Tutoring Association’s Managing Director Tina Tharp, Comcast-Spectacor and Comcast Corporation are pleased to announce that the Comcast Family of Companies will serve RSTTA as its 2009 Principal Sponsor.
“We are proud to support an organization that has demonstrated the ability to use the sport of tennis to positively influence the academic performance of young people, and to build programs that lead to the development of healthy habits and prudent life choices,” said Fred Shabel, Comcast-Spectacor Vice Chairman.
“We believe in supporting programs that point youth toward opportunities to grow their leadership skills through positive activities rather than risky and limiting ones,” said Charisse Lillie, Vice President of Community Investment at Comcast, and Executive Vice President of the Comcast Foundation. “The Rodney Street Tennis and Tutoring Association will do just that.”
The sponsorship includes matching cash contributions totaling $35,000 from Comcast-Spectacor, Comcast Corporation and Comcast of Wilmington, Delaware. The agreement will also provide RSTTA with significant additional in-kind cable, telephone and internet services, which will enhance administrative operations and supplemental educational services.
“The support of the Comcast Family of Companies as the Principal Sponsor of RSTTA will enable the organization to stay on a progressive path,” said RSTTA Chairman Joseph Abelson. “In these grave economic times where corporate funding is difficult to obtain, RSTTA is most grateful to secure this sponsorship.”
Rodney Street Tennis and Tutoring Association (RSTTA), a 501 (c) (3) non-profit organization founded in 1978 as a USTA NJTL Chapter provides innovative tennis and educational enrichment programs to over 1,300 at-risk youth in the City of Wilmington, Delaware, providing year-round after-school and out-of-school summer tennis and tutoring activities.
RSTTA aims to provide more quality out-of-school programs for inner-city youth. It is during the out-of-school hours when children would otherwise have little or no adult supervision and are most vulnerable to high-risk activities. A steady increase in drop-out rates, delinquency and juvenile crime in virtually every Wilmington neighborhood underscores this urgency.
For more information, please visit www.rodneystreettennis.org.