New partnership will be celebrated on August 7 at National Bank Open presented by Rogers
Tennis Canada announced today that it has entered a new partnership with Big Brothers Big Sisters of Toronto. This partnership will be leveraged with the goal to increase tennis participation through safe, equitable and positive experiences with a focus on engaging young girls and to grow a pipeline of Big Brother, Big Sister and Big Sibling volunteers, prospective partners, and community allies.
“This new partnership is incredibly important to Tennis Canada as we aim to make tennis even more accessible for underserved kids in the Greater Toronto Area while partnering with one of the best not-for-profit youth advocacy organizations in Toronto, Big Brothers Big Sisters,” said Eva Havaris, Tennis Canada’s Vice-President of Tennis Participation and Partnerships.
“One of the main goals of this partnership is to demonstrate that tennis is a sport that anyone can enjoy, especially with the many public tennis courts available around the GTA. What’s more, we are excited to design initiatives and partnerships that extend our reach into communities that need our support the most. We’re extremely excited to build and expand this partnership in the future with our friends and BBBS.”
Big Brothers Big Sisters of Toronto connects a young person facing adversity (known as Littles) with a caring and consistent adult mentor (known as Bigs). Through their mentoring relationships, youth learn to feel less anxious, less isolated, and less depressed, while at the same time more hopeful about their future.
Some of the strategies that will be deployed include hosting annual events to increase awareness and participation, utilizing Tennis Canada programs such as Try Tennis to introduce the sport as a safe, healthy, and positive activity to “Bigs” and “Littles”, partnering with community tennis facilities to support ongoing play, and collecting data to support deliverables and impact.
The first activation that will help usher in this new partnership will take place at the National Bank Open on Monday, August 7 during the day session. A group of “Littles” and “Bigs” will be in attendance for the first day of main draw matches and will help conduct the day’s coin tosses.
“We couldn’t be more excited about this partnership with Tennis Canada and can’t wait to see it come to life over the coming months,” said Leanne Nicolle, President & CEO of Big Brothers Big Sisters of Toronto. “A positive mentoring relationship supports our Littles to expand their possibilities and encourages them to try new things. This partnership with Tennis Canada will help champion those important pillars of our work moving forward.”
Beyond the NBO, the partnership will be highlighted throughout the year through a variety of different activations, such as during June for the Try Tennis month in Canada, Big Brothers Big Sisters of Toronto’s Annual Big Night Out Fundraiser and by partnering up to host an annual summer festival/tournament.
