WHY TENNIS MATTERS
Tennis is, after all, just a sport. So why is it so important to invest? Because the benefits of playing tennis are unique to this sport, and have national implications. Yes, tennis truly matters.
A Game for all Ages:
- Unlike most other sports, tennis can be played at any age, with friends and family, and in competition.
- A study in the American Journal of Medicine showed that tennis has the highest rate of sustainability: 33% of men who played in their 20s continued to play in mid-life, providing healthy long-term benefits.
- Tennis is one of the only sports where able-bodied and wheelchair players can play together.
- As a low-impact, non-contact sport, tennis produces fewer injuries. In 2005, Consumer Reports ranked singles tennis as one of the best calorie-burning workouts, particularly good for the upper and lower body, offering significant cardiovascular and weight-bearing benefits.
- he cost of balls and a racquet are minimal, and public courts are widely available. While playing in winter does incur indoor court fees, the total cost of playing is still less than a ski or golf vacation in the off-season.
- When asked, a strong majority of Canadians say they want Canada to be a world leader in international competition. Tennis is a sport in which we have excelled in the past, and where we can regain the podium.
OUR DONORS
Tennis Canadathanks all of its donors for the generous gifts they have made over the years. Here we gratefully acknowledge those donors who have made a gift of $500 or more to the Tennis Matters Campaign during the 2008/09 fiscal year, or who have made a lifetime donation of $10,000 or more.
Able-One Systems Inc
Stacey Allaster and John Milkovich
Richard J. Angus
Robert and Mary Pat Armstrong
John and Roseann Beddington
Dr. Christopher Bellamy Inc.
Dennis and Julie Bernhard
Jacques Bernier
David Binet
Tom Birks
Betty and Bruce Birmingham
Marven Bishop
Michael Blair
Bob Brett
Sheila Brown
Anthony Brunst
Michael Cassady
Charlton L. Smith Charitable Foundation
CIBC Wood Gundy
David W. Clark
Michael Cowpland
Karen Curry
David and Stacey Cynamon Family Foundation
Dairy Farmers of Canada
Daniel Nestor Celebrity Charity Event
Peter Devine
Michael and Beth Downey
Tony and Robyn Eames Family Foundation
Elite Machining Ltd.
Margaret Emin
Brian and Pat Flood
Roy C.Foss
Irma Francis
Joseph Frieberg Family Charitable Foundation
Ron Ghitter
Linda Glover and Ian DeVerteuil
Gerry Goldberg
Peter Goldberg
Jack Graham
Granite Grand Slam
Scott Griffen
Bernard Hamill
Marc Henderson
Hermant Family Foundation
Andre and Jocelyn Hidi
Terry Hooge
Dick Huddleston
Wayne Hughes
Dennis Huss
Gord Inglis
David and Jennifer Ingram
The Joshua Foundation Inc.
Warwick Jones
Graham Keogh
Gordon Kirke
Debbie Kirkwood
Vadim Kosseniouk
Eugène Lapierre
John LeBoutillier
Michel Lecavalier
Catherine Lyons
Hector Mackay-Dunn
Magna International Inc.
Roger Martin
Wilmot and Judith Matthews
Mark McCardle
Hatem and Jenn McDadi
Nancy and John McFadyen
Mckibbin/Orr Professional Corporation
Joanie McMaster
Donald E. Meehan
Miele Limited
Lorna Milkovich
James Millican
Nigel Morgan
Sheldon Nadeau
National Bank
Nevada McLeod Group
Robert Nicholls
Deborah Orange
Mike Phelps
John Pollard
Rae & Lipskie Investment Counsel Inc.
Rathgeb Foundation Inc.
Jacob Reimer
Estate of Shirley Alice Rhodes
Pierre Rivard
Rix Family Foundation
Stacey and Terence Robinson
Victoria Robinson
Rogers Communications Inc.
Alfredo and Moira Romano
Derrick Rowe
Murray and Roda Rubin
Scotiabank
Norman Seagram
Seelig Consultants Inc.
Ken and Betty Sinclair
Donald R. Sobey Foundation
St. John Associates
State Farm Mutual Automobile
Insurance Company
Peter Stevens
Stikeman Elliot LLP
Derek and Carolyn Strang
TELUS
Helen Tennyson
Mike and Nicole Tevlin
Richard M. Thomson
Toronto Lawn Tennis Club
TOS Sports Services Inc.
True Sport Foundation
Susan Vail
Vale Inco Newfoundland & Labrador Limited
Roman Volfson
Waterloo Hotel
Greg Wood
Martin Wostenholme
DONOR AWARDS
Tennis Canada is fortunate to have the support of many donors who have generously established player funds to assist Canada�s elite athletes with training, coaching and traveling expenses. Grants are issued from these donor funds on a yearly basis to players fitting the criteria, as determined by Tennis Canada�s Player Development Selection Committee.
GO FOR GOLD FUND
The Go for Gold Fund was established in 2000, inspired by Daniel Nestor and Sebastien Lareau’s gold medals at the Sydney Olympic Games. The fund is generously supported by tennis club fundraisers and individual donors each year. The funds raised each year are distributed to Canadian players who have the potential to be future Olympic gold medalists.
The selection committee considers international performance standards, future Olympic potential, attitude and profile when determining annual recipients. To be eligible, athletes must be Canadian citizens.
For a complete list of recipients, click here.
FLECK FAMILY EXCELLENCE FUND
Established with a generous donation from Jim and Margaret Fleck of Toronto, the Fleck Awards for Excellence support young Canadian athletes who have the potential to achieve Top 50 singles rankings on the Sony Ericsson WTA and ATP tours.
The selection criteria for the awards include past performances, future potential, and participation in Davis Cup and/or Fed Cup. The sole purpose of this fund is to offset the costs associated with on-tour coaching.
The fund will provide up to $25,000 per year, split among a maximum of two Canadian players. To be eligible, athletes must be Canadian citizens and full-time professional or transition players.
For a complete list of recipients, click here.
TEVLIN FAMILY EXCELLENCE FUND
Established with a generous donation from the Tevlin Family of Toronto, the Tevlin Player Fund supports promising young Ontario-based players to achieve Top 50 rankings on the ATP and Sony Ericsson WTA tours.
The selection criteria for the fund includes past performances, future potential, and participation in Davis Cup and/or Fed Cup. The purpose of this fund is to assist players with their on-tour expenses.
The fund will provide up to $30,000 per year to be distributed among Ontario athletes. To be eligible, athletes must be Canadian citizens, playing tennis full-time and residing in the province of Ontario.
For a complete list of recipients, click here.
NATIONAL BANK EXCELLENCE FUND
Established through a generous donation from National Bank, this fund supports young Canadian athletes who have the potential to achieve Top 50 singles rankings on the Sony Ericsson WTA and ATP Tours. The purpose of this fund is to assist players with their on-tour expenses.
The fund will provide up to $50,000 per year to be distributed to young Quebec athletes. The selection criteria include past performances, future potential and participation in Davis Cup and/or Fed Cup. To be eligible, athletes must be Canadian citizens, playing tennis full-time and residing in the province of Quebec.
For a complete list of recipients, click here.
GILBERT NUNNS MEMORIAL SCHOLARSHIP FUND
Established by Gilbert’s four daughters, all of whom played competitive tennis, and by friends who donated in memoriam at the time of his death, this fund honours the former Davis Cup player’s dedication to the sport by supporting junior tennis development in Canada.
The fund will provide up to $2,000 per year to a promising under-14 Canadian player. To be eligible, athletes must be under 14 years of age and Canadian citizens.
STACEY ALLASTER AWARD FOR EXCELLENCE
Founded in 2005, the Stacey Allaster Award for Excellence honours the contributions made to tennis in Canada by former Vice-President and Rogers Cup Toronto Tournament Director, Stacey Allaster. The award was funded by generous gifts from current and former Tennis Canada board members, staff members and Tennis Canada partners Rogers, American Express, TSN and the Sony Ericsson WTA Tour.
The award provides up to $5,000 per year to be split among a maximum of two promising young female tennis players. To be eligible, athletes must be female, under 14 years of age and Canadian citizens.
For a complete list of recipients, click here.
HENRI ROCHON MEMORIAL AWARD
Established by friends in memoriam at the time of his death, this fund honours the former player’s dedication to the sport by supporting junior tennis development in Quebec.
Each year, the fund provides a $1,000 bursary to a promising under-14 player from Henri Rochon’s home province of Quebec. To be eligible, athletes must be under 14 years of age and residents of the province of Quebec.
For a complete list of recipients, click here.
TENNIS CANADA INTERNATIONAL JUNIOR CHAMPIONSHIP AWARD
The Tennis Canada Junior International Champion Award was established in 2005 through the generosity of Murray and Roda Rubin of Toronto. The award supports Canadian junior tennis players who achieve success in international competition.
The Tennis Canada Junior International Champion Award will be made to any Canadian junior player who wins a singles or doubles title at the following eligible competitions:
- Junior Grand Slam (Australian Open, French Open, Wimbledon, US Open)
- Petit As (U14)
- Junior Orange Bowl (U12)
In order to be eligible for this award, the athlete must be born in Canada or have received Canadian citizenship before ten years of age, and must represent Canada in Davis Cup or Fed Cup if asked to do so by Tennis Canada.
A player can only receive the award once for a junior Grand Slam singles title, once for a junior Grand Slam doubles title, once for the Petit As title and once for the U12 junior Orange Bowl title during his/her career.
The award is bestowed in the following amounts:
- $20,000 to any Canadian player who wins a Junior Grand Slam singles title.
- $5,000 to any Canadian player who wins a Junior Grand Slam doubles title.
- $5,000 to any Canadian player who wins the Petit As title.
- $5,000 to any Canadian player who wins the U12 junior Orange Bowl title.
CAMPAIGN COMMITTEE
I am truly proud to serve as the chairperson for the Tennis Matters campaign. For years, I have been attracted to tennis because it is one of the few sports to combine the spectator component of being able to watch some of the finest athletes in the world play the same game that others can participate in for fitness and amusement at any age.It is my goal, shared by many within the tennis community, that this wonderful game be accessible to persons of all ethnic and socio-economic backgrounds. The positive effects that tennis can have on society are endless. A healthy community has long-term implications on the economy, safety and national pride.
We have achieved great success in the first year of our campaign, securing over $3.75 million in new funds to support tennis development. Thanks to the generosity of our campaign donors, we have been able to establish new programs and events, such as the under-12 indoor and outdoor national championships, the Allaster Award for Excellence, and the Alberta schools program.
Many agree that Canadians should be able to accomplish more on the international sport stage. Our patriotism fuels the desire to assist elite athletes in their quest for world recognition. This is an important component of the Tennis Matters campaign. Already our donors have established over $450,000 in new player awards to assist young Canadian athletes in achieving their full potential and making their country proud.
If you would like to get involved in making tennis matter in Canada, please contact me at tennismatters@tenniscanada.com. Together, we will make an enormous impact on the growth of Canadian tennis and the lives of Canadians from coast-to-coast.
Sincerely,
Gordon I. Kirke, Q.C.
Chair, Tennis Matters campaign
COMMITTEE MEMBERS
The Tennis Matters campaign committee is comprised of individuals whose leadership and commitment to our sport is truly inspiring. Working together towards a goal that will have an enormous impact on the growth of Canadian tennis and the health of our nation, these individuals generously invest their time and energy toward making our Tennis Matters campaign a success.
Gord Kirke, Chair (Toronto)
Brian Flood (Toronto)
Mark Lever (Halifax)
Steve MacCulloch (Montreal)
Nancy McFadyen (Toronto)
Joanie McMaster (Vancouver)
Jim Millican (Winnipeg)
Patti Pilon (Toronto)
Norman Seagram (Toronto)
Derrick Rowe (St. John's)
MAKE A DONATION
If you would like to make a donation to the Tennis Matters campaign, please call us at 1-800-263-9039 or download our Tennis Matters donation form by clicking here and mail it to:
Tennis Matters Campaign
Tennis Canada
1 Shoreham Drive
Toronto, ON
M3N 3A6
Tennis Canada is pleased to provide a charitable tax receipt for all gifts.
To make a safe, secure online donation please click here to be redirected to our Paypal site.
If you would like your donation to be directed to a specific area of our campaign, please enter this information in the "Notes" section.
Thank you for your generous support!
