Arthur Ashe Legacy Honored by Former Mayors Willie Brown and David Dinkins, Dick Gould, Belva Davis and Bay Area Sports Celebrities

November 1, 2013

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact: Lita Anderson
USTA NorCal Outreach
anderson@norcal.usta.com
510.748.7341

Michael DeFlorimonte
michaelD. Communications
michaeld@michaeldcommunications.com
415.203.9801

Press Information and Media Passes: http://bit.ly/mDC-ustamedia
Release Online: http://bit.ly/usta-btb110713

Former Mayors Willie Brown and David Dinkins, Dick Gould, Belva Davis and Bay Area Sports Celebrities Honor Arthur Ashe Legacy and Community Tennis atUSTA Northern California Beyond The Baseline

Thursday, November 7, 2013 • The Galleria at San Francisco Design Center

SAN FRANCISCO (October 30, 2013): The U.S. Tennis Association Northern California (USTA NorCal) and the Northern California Tennis Foundation will present their Icon Award to Jeanne Moutoussamy-Ashe at their inaugural Beyond The Baseline event. This biennial event and award has been established in support of USTA NorCal’s recently launched initiative, Beyond The Baseline: Leading the way in bringing tennis & education* programs to grassroots communities. Former Mayors Willie Brown and David Dinkins, Belva Davis, Al Attles and other Bay Area celebrities and politicos will participate in the event, taking place on November 7, 2013 at The Galleria (San Francisco Design Center), San Francisco.

Beyond The Baseline means providing opportunity, access and resources to disadvantaged youth from all communities to enable them to play tennis and excel in academics through organized community tennis and education programs. Proceeds from the event will benefit the Northern California Tennis Foundation.

During the evening, USTA NorCal will honor Ms. Moutoussamy-Ashe for devoting her life to the legacy of her husband, tennis legend Arthur Ashe. Arthur Ashe was a top ranked tennis player in the 1960s and 70s. Raised in the segregated South, he was the first African-American male tennis player to win a Grand Slam tournament. He was much more than an athlete though. His commitment to social justice, health and humanitarian issues left a mark on the world as indelible as his tennis was on the court.

Since 2008 the Arthur Ashe Learning Center in New York has been showcasing young people's achievements in service, academics and citizenship. Arthur's legacy has resulted in nearly a quarter of a million at-risk youth across the U.S. being in USTA National Junior Tennis and Learning programs (NJTL's). 2013 marks the 20th anniversary of Arthur's passing.

The event includes personal tributes, an on stage interview with Ms. Moutoussamy-Ashe by Michael Cooke (President – USTA Northern California) and Belva Davis, and the recognition of selected individuals involved in Community Tennis who have selflessly contributed to societal improvements within and outside of the tennis world. The evening also features The "Signature Style of Tennis" Fashion Show, which includes fashions supplied by Azadeh Couture, Sports Basement and Lorna Jane Clothing, a raffle and entertainment provided by tennis enthusiasts and Philippine pop sensations the Perkins Twins. Ted Robinson will emcee the event.

To further the Beyond The Baseline initiative, USTA NorCal has also been active developing partnerships with corporate America. Earlier this year they hosted an event on the recreation field at Google headquarters (Mountain View, CA), bringing together Google employees, USTA volunteers and youth from surrounding underserved Bay Area communities in cooperation with East Palo Alto YMCA, East Palo Alto Tennis & Tutoring and College Track. This event was the first in a series of strategic engagement events for employees of Silicon Valley, to be followed by NetApp (Sunnyvale, CA) later in November, and continuing into 2014.

In addition, the USTA is currently sponsoring Breaking The Barriers: The American Tennis Association (ATA) and Black Tennis Pioneers, a touring exhibition that blends photos, newspaper accounts and video to create a lively, informative and thought provoking experience about the history of African Americans playing tennis. On view at the San Francisco Public Library through January 5, 2014

2014 also signals the launch of USTA Northern California’s H.I.T.S (Honesty, Inspiration, Teamwork and Sportsmanship), a junior tennis, academic enrichment and lifeskills program which will give USTA further reach into underserved communities to help at-risk kids develop strong core values on and off the tennis court.

* Studies have shown that youth who play tennis get better grades at school, have college aspirations, are

better behaved and are more community minded and well rounded.* -- February 2013 USTA Special Report: "More Than a Sport: Tennis, Education and Health”

About U.S.T.A. Northern California and the Northern California Tennis Foundation

The United States Tennis Association (U.S.T.A.) is the national governing body for the sport of tennis in the U.S. and the leader in promoting and developing the growth of tennis at every level -- from local communities to the highest level of the professional game. U.S.T.A. owns and operates the U.S. Open, the highest attended annual sporting event in the world, and launched the Emirates Airline U.S. Open Series linking ten summer tournaments to the U.S. Open. U.S.T.A. Northern California (U.S.T.A. NorCal) is one of 17 sections of the U.S.T.A. whose mission is to promote and develop the growth of tennis as an inclusive and inviting lifetime activity within the region. A not-for-profit organization with approximately 38,000 adult members, 14,000 junior members and over 400 organization members, U.S.T.A. NorCal invests 100% of its proceeds into growing the game. Its philanthropic entity, the Northern California Tennis Foundation (N.C.T.F.), is a public supported tax exempt charity founded in 2010 (EIN # 263688410) which supports community based grassroots tennis and education programs and underserved tennis playing youth with grants and scholarships.

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For Calendar Editors/News Desks

WHO: USTA Northern California and Northern California Tennis Foundation

WHAT: Beyond The Baseline - Honoring the Legacy of Arthur Ashe and Community Tennis. Icon Awardee: Jeanne Moutoussamy-Ashe

WHEN: Thursday, November 7, 2013, 6:30 pm – 10:00 pm

RUNDOWN: 6:30 pm - 8:00 pm | Cocktail Reception, Find Yourself in the Game video montage, presentation of local Beyond The Baseline community service honorees. 8:00 pm - 10:00 pm | The "Signature Style of Tennis" Fashion Show, raffle, DJ music, on stage interview by Michael Cooke (President, USTA NorCal) and Belva Davis with Jeanne Moutoussamy-Ashe, tribute from former New York City Mayor David N. Dinkins, award presentation to Jeanne Moutoussamy-Ashe by former San Francisco Mayor Willie L. Brown

WHERE: The Galleria at the San Francisco Design Center - 101 Henry Adams Street, San Francisco, CA

EVENT INFO: http://bit.ly/usta-btb

ONSITE CONTACT: Michael DeFlorimonte 415.203.9801

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