Emirates and the United States Tennis Association Foundation (USTA Foundation) have joined forces to present brand new tennis courts to the community of East Palo Alto as part of Emirates’ “Force for Good” court rejuvenation initiative. The world’s largest international airline’s contribution of USD 500,000 supported the construction of one of the six new courts in the California city in addition to funding programmes by East Palo Alto Tennis and Tutoring (EPATT) to benefit youth in the community.
The global airline donated the funds as part of its five-year commitment of USD 2.5 million to support court rejuvenation projects across US cities. East Palo Alto is the second US city to benefit from Emirates’ partnership with the USTA Foundation for the provision of new tennis courts, following on from last year’s refurbishment of three tennis courts in Brooklyn’s De Hostos Playground, also made possible with a donation of USD 500,000 from Emirates.
The ‘Force for Good’ initiative uplifts communities and creates opportunities for youth of all ages to develop their sporting skills and engage in educational programs that contribute to their future success and overall wellbeing. Besides the construction of the new tennis courts which began last year, the funding will continue to support academic programming on-site and grants for youth who are talented in the sport of tennis and college scholarships.
The six brand new tennis courts were unveiled during a ribbon-cutting ceremony inaugurated by officials from Emirates, USTA Foundation and EPATT in the presence of public officials representing the city of East Palo Alto. Legendary tennis coach Paul Goldstein was present to showcase the new courts with the first match, along with kids from the community who benefit from EPATT’s programming and facilities.
With the airline’s funding, Emirates has the naming rights to a tennis court, marked by a commemorative plaque and presented to Matthew Jones, Emirates’ VP – USA in acknowledgment of the airline’s contributions that enabled the initiative in East Palo Alto.
For the next three years Emirates’ funding is earmarked to support additional projects that will touch the lives of youth and families across the nation.
Emirates is the Official Airline of the US Open and has been a proud partner since 2012. The airline began its US operations with services to New York JFK in 2004, and today operates to 12 US cities, including two points in California, Los Angeles and San Francisco, in addition to Boston, Houston, Chicago, Washington D.C., Seattle, Newark, Dallas, Miami, Orlando, and New York JFK.
As a global airline, Emirates’ “Force for Good” initiative also supports social impact initiatives touching the lives of youth in local communities across the UK in partnership with Wimbledon. Emirates also makes an impact on communities around the world through its other partnerships, directly or through the Emirates Airline Foundation.
