Harlem Junior Tennis and Education Program

Founded in 1972 by two Harlem residents and tennis enthusiasts, Claude Cargill and Bill Brown, HJTEP began at the local 369th Regiment Armory on 143rd Street, aiming to give Harlem youth exposure to a then mostly white-dominated sport and instill the character-building lessons tennis greats Arthur Ashe and Althea Gibson embodied. Former Knicks player Earl “the Pearl” Monroe helped attract early outside funding, and in 1979 the founders launched a Homework Club, reflecting their belief that tennis was a vehicle for something greater: academic access and professional mobility. Today, HJTEP combines tennis instruction with education and wellness programming, and an aggregated 97% of the organization’s program graduates have gone on to college since its inception. HJTEP is led by Executive Director Katrina M. Adams, a former professional tennis player and past Chairman of the Board, CEO, and President of the USTA.

Website: https://hjtep.org/

Donate: https://hjtep.org/ways-to-give/donate