Grants Awarded
2025 Highlights
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Grants Awarded: 9 Grants
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Total Amount of Grants: $220,000
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Courts Impacted: 46
Hurricanes Helene and Milton
USTA Florida Foundation
We donated $50,000 to the USTA Florida Foundation to support the repair of two tennis facilities still recovering from Hurricanes Helene and Milton. However, with total grant requests reaching $390,000, it became clear that additional support was urgently needed.
In response, we launched Rally for Florida, a year-long, statewide fundraising initiative in partnership with the USTA Florida Foundation and Racquet War. Tennis clubs in Tampa, Orlando, Naples, Ormond Beach, and Vero Beach will host two- and three-day Racquet War tournaments, with all proceeds benefiting Tennis for Hope. These events unite our tennis community around a shared purpose—raising meaningful funds to directly support disaster relief and the rebuilding of tennis facilities across Florida.
Hurricane Melissa
Rally for Jamaica
Sophie Naditch, born and raised in St. Elizabeth, Jamaica—where Hurricane Melissa made landfall—is a cherished member of our tennis community who has participated in Gigi Method camps and clinics in the Chicago area. When we learned that her immediate family still lived in St. Elizabeth and had been severely impacted by the hurricane, we knew we had to help.
By sharing Sophie’s story across social media and launching a dedicated fundraiser, Rally for Jamaica, our community came together in a powerful way. Through this effort, we raised $13,000 to support Sophie’s travel to Jamaica and to deliver critical supplies and relief directly to the people of St. Elizabeth. Below are some of the individuals and families who were helped through this initiative.
Guadaloupe River Floods
Rally for the River
In July 2024, the peaceful flow of the Guadalupe River turned devastating as powerful floods swept through Central Texas, leaving behind a trail of heartbreak and loss. Among the tragedies were three young girls, member of the Westwood Tennis Club, whose lives were tragically cut short when the floods struck. Many summer camps along the river, where generations of children had come to learn, play, and grow, experienced unimaginable loss, including total devastation to the camp's tennis courts.
In the aftermath, Tennis for Hope stepped forward to help heal and rebuild. Through two heartfelt fundraising clinics at the Westoood Country Club in Austin and at Riverhills Country Club in Kerrville, the heart of Hill Country, the tennis community came together to honor the girls’ memory and raise funds to help rebuild the courts.
Gigi visited the affected camps to meet with the camp directors and see firsthand both the destruction and the extraordinary resilience of those determined individuals. The funds raised are being used to help restore the tennis courts so future campers can once again experience the joy of the game. While nothing can replace the loss of the lives lost, their memory will live on in the hearts of all who play there, a lasting reminder of love, community, and the unbreakable bonds that connect us through the sport of tennis.
Our founder Gigi Fernandez talks to Camp Directors at Camp La Junta and Camp Honey Creek for girls to inform them about their grant awards.
Camp La Junta
Camp Honey Creek for Girls
Hurricane Helene
Asheville, NC
Following the devastation caused by Hurricane Helene, and understanding that the road to recovery from a natural disaster is long, Tennis for Hope reached out to the USTA North Carolina section and learned that there were facilities in need of help.
In Asheville, the historic Aston Park Tennis Center, home to generations of local players, was severely damaged by flooding. To aid in its recovery, Tennis for Hope donated $15,000 toward the restoration of the facility, helping to repair courts and restore access to the game for the surrounding community.
Next spring, we will have a special plaque presentation and community celebration at Aston Park to honor the resilience of the local tennis family. As part of the event, Gigi will conduct fundraising clinics for players in the area, bringing people together through the game they love while continuing to support ongoing recovery efforts.
This initiative embodies the spirit of Tennis for Hope, using the power of tennis to rebuild, uplift, and unite communities in times of need.
California Wildfires
Palisades and Altadena Fires
The Palisades Tennis Center is a public park that served as a hub for tennis enthusiasts of all ages and skill levels before it was burned down in the Pacific Palisade Fire.
Tennis for Hope donated $25,000 to the rebuilding efforts for the Palisades Tennis Center.
We also established a strategic partnership with the Village Rising Foundation, which supports our mission of assisting individuals affected by natural disasters, specifically in the Los Angeles area. We donated $25,000 to be spread among 4 schools and public parks that served the tennis community.
Check Presentation at the BNP Paribas
We presented a check to Mike Tomas the Director of Tennis at Palisade Tennis Center during the BNP Paribas Tennis Tournament. Also in attendance was Board Member Pam Shriver, Trevor Kronneman from USTA Southern California, Ann Austin from the WTA Foundation and Bryan Fox who is one of Gigi Method's Head Pros and whom Gigi met at the Palisades Tennis Center in 2018.
