Mission

Love To Serve, Inc. Tennis and Education Foundation (LTS) is a 501 (c) 3 not-for-profit organization whose mission is dedicated to empowering youth, particularly those systematically marginalized, through transformative tennis and education programs. Our goal is to break down barriers, nurture potential, and rewrite narratives fostering equity-driven futures where every youth is resilient and equipped for success in academia and beyond. Our programs contribute to youth development in a supportive and safe environment and build knowledge and transferrable skills for future success in college and careers.

History

LTS was founded in 1992 by L. LaMont Bryant, a tennis professional and former school teacher. Coach Bryant recognized the need for a program that would provide access to the non-traditional sport of tennis, particularly for under-served youth in Chicago. His goal was to establish an organization that would keep impressionable urban youth off the streets by creating an arena for them to participate in structured tennis and academic programs after school, on weekends, and throughout the summer. Through hard work, dedication, and the development of strategic partnerships, LTS has become a nationally recognized organization serving hundreds of student-athletes annually.

Today, Love to Serve is run by Executive Director Lori James, a Chicago native who grew up in the Englewood Community. She attended the University of Illinois-Chicago, where she studied Quantitative Methods in Business and received her Master’s Degree in Public Policy and Management from Carnegie Mellon University. Lori’s love for tennis began when she was just 10 years old. She and her dad would hit off the brick wall near her home or the 2- car garage door at the back of the house where she grew up. Because Lori was blessed with a world class education and a great career, when the opportunity presented itself to become fully invested at the community level and in Love To Serve, she was all in!

Programs

1. Developmental Tennis Programs: Tennis programs for youth ages 7 to 18 provides year-round (indoors from October to June and outdoors from July to September) tennis training for beginners to tournament level players. Programs include: 10 and Under; Beginners and Advanced Beginners; Middle to High School Players; Future Novice Players and Tournament Players. For youth ages 6 to 14, LTS provides year-round tennis programming at the Kroc Center; specifically after school during the school year and June through August. The goal of this programming is to encourage participants to matriculate into the College Readiness Program.

2. College Readiness & ACT/SAT Prep: LTS helps develop and prepare students to be successful in their home lives, both on the tennis court and in the classroom. Specifically, the program will provide student athletes with academic support, educational enrichment, college preparation and tennis training. Students will receive tennis training throughout the week and workshops conducted throughout the year in the following areas: ACT/SAT Preparation, Scholarship Application Completion; College Application and Essay Preparation, and Resume Writing. Every student’s academic achievement and college readiness will be closely monitored to ensure that the student is on track for success. Participants of the program should expect to improve their GPA and ACT/SAT scores; and be able to qualify for an NCAA scholarship or academic scholarship upon graduation. ACT and SAT tutoring is provided in partnership with Winward Academy to students in both Chicago and Ethiopia.

3. Apprenticeship Teaching and Training Program: This program prepares youth and young adults with the teaching skills necessary to be hired to provide tennis instruction at Chicago Park District sites as skilled tennis instructors. Components of the on-court curriculum utilized has been endorsed by the United States Professional Tennis Registry and the United States Olympic Committee.

4. Youth Mental Health and Wellness Program: Mental health and wellness is a crucial but often under-addressed aspect of youth in under-resourced communities. Love to Serve's initiative meets youth where they are while ensuring that they understand how self-care is crucial to their mental health and personal growth and development. Youth are taught how to identify their own areas of personal strength and understanding of health and wellness through a series of workshops, field trips and products and supplies that will help round out their wellness survival kit.

Community Support & Relationships

LTS is a program provider for After School Matters (ASM), a Chicago-based organization providing Chicago teens the opportunity to explore their passions and develop their talents through free, world-class after-school and summer programs across Chicago. LTS has been an ASM partner since 2003. In 2014, LTS also established a Hispanic initiative at Solorio High School that has been running ever since.

In collaboration with the Chicago Park District, LTS prepares and trains teens to teach tennis to youth participating in Chicago Park District Summer Camp sites throughout Chicago. Teen coaches (many of whom have been participants in other LTS programs) are paid a competitive hourly wage as a Junior Tennis Coach during the summer, providing teens with valuable work/apprenticeship experience and financial support. Once the teen coaches graduate from high school, they are eligible to work throughout college and during their summer breaks.

LTS collaborates with the Salvation Army Ray and Joan Kroc Community Center to establish year-round programming at a facility that has 4 outdoor tennis courts and 2 indoor multi-purpose tennis courts. During the summer, over 350 youth participate in LTS tennis programming free of charge, and during the school year 80 to 90 youth participate in the Kroc Center tennis programming. The Salvation Army Ray and Joan Kroc Center provides an optimal facility to offer consistent quality tennis programming to some of Chicago’s communities, and is also the anchor site for Love to Serve's SAT/ACT Prep Program. This state-of-the-art facility has provided the community with an unbelievable sense of pride, dignity and purpose.

As an organizational member of the USTA, LTS provides various USTA programming as a Community Tennis Association (CTA), including National Junior Tennis League (NJTL), 10 and Under Tennis, USTA After School Tennis Clubs, Junior Team Tennis, and Adult Start / Restart Tennis.

Finally, Love to Serve's newest collaboration is with the Union League Boy’s and Girl’s Club of Humboldt Park and Pilsen. LTS programs have proven to be successful as an addition to their current after school programming and youth development strategy.

2023 Love To Serve Fundraiser

Providing high quality tennis, educational and college prep programs to Chicago's youth

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