Bruce & Betty Birmingham

BIOGRAPHY

Wheelchair tennis today is thriving thanks to the vision and generosity of Bruce and Betty Birmingham.

In 1998 Tennis Canada became the governing body for wheelchair tennis across the country.  The opportunity existed for Tennis Canada to become a national leader in the development and delivery of paralympic sport, by creating a national model for other sports to emulate.  However, awareness and participation in the sport was very low, with very little money available.

A strategic plan was developed with clearly defined priorities including awareness and recruitment programs; long term athlete development; coaching certification and competitive structure.

The challenge of funding remained until the Birmingham’s fell in love with the sport.  Both played tennis and were advocates of the sport for most of their lives; in fact, Betty continues to be an official who has traveled to tournaments all over the world.

Their awareness of wheelchair tennis was non-existent until Betty was first introduced when she worked as an official for the then Canadian Open in Stoney Creek. She immediately fell in love with the sport and the athletes.  She shared her passion with Bruce who was also immediately impressed by the athleticism and dedication of the athletes.  They were saddened to learn of the challenges faced by the sport and the athletes themselves due to lack of funding.  It was at that moment that Bruce and Betty decided to help change things.

They immediately made a generous 5-year pledge, which grew larger over time as they became more committed to the growth and success of wheelchair tennis.  By the end of the family’s most recent pledge period, their gift had grown to be among the largest ever received by Tennis Canada for any program, including able-bodied athlete development.

Bruce sadly passed away in 2010.