Tempe, AZ – The Intercollegiate Tennis Association (“ITA”) is proud to announce today a newly formed partnership between the association and ACEing Autism.
As the 2014 recipient of the USTA National Adaptive Tennis Community Service Award, ACEing Autism has served communities across the country for over 15 years. Their mission includes, “helping children with autism to grow, develop, and benefit from social connections and fitness through affordable tennis programming, uniquely meeting individual needs while filling a national void for this growing and underserved population.”
“We are very excited about our partnership with ACEing Autism, and the opportunity for our college tennis programs and their athletes to get involved with a straightforward and meaningful community service initiative,” said ITA Director of Coach Education, Lauren Conching. “We believe that community service is more than simply giving back, it’s a transformative experience for student-athletes that teaches empathy, responsibility, and the importance of being a positive influence in their community.”
College tennis has been, and continues to be, one of the most notable connecting threads between tennis players at every level. With over 20,000 student-athletes competing collegiately each year, college tennis offers a unique space of engaged, ambitious, and knowledgeable tennis players who each could help make a difference in their communities through ACEing Autism.
Through this partnership, ACEing Autism and the ITA aim to allow college programs to engage in community service in fulfilling ways that support their athletic and professional development. By doing so, children and families within these communities can benefit from the care and commitment provided by these student-athletes and programs.
“ACEing Autism is excited to partner with the ITA and college tennis teams,” stated ACEing Autism Executive Director & Founder, Richard Spurling. “Our program provides collegiate teams and players a deeply enriching and rewarding experience in their communities. College players will help us connect an increasing number of children with autism to tennis – a sport proven to help them grow. The powerful combination of ACEing and ITA will help college players and children in the local area develop.”
Additionally, this partnership will encourage the expansive member base of the ITA Alumni Network to pass along their knowledge and love for tennis to underserved communities through volunteering with ACEing Autism.
To learn more about the different pathways for your program and student-athletes to partner with ACEing Autism on your campus or in your area, please register for our webinar on Tuesday, August 27 at 9 am (PT)/12 pm (ET). If you can’t make the webinar, please register and you will receive a recording of the webinar.
ITA members can email ITA Community Manager, Elicia Smith ([email protected]), to find out how your program can get involved with ACEing Autism.
About ACEing Autism: ACEing Autism is on a mission for children with autism to grow, develop and benefit from social connections and fitness through affordable tennis programming, uniquely serving individual needs while filling a national void for this growing and worthy population. Since sports are not easily accessible for children with ASD – a curriculum – developed by Richard Spurling, a tennis professional with a degree in International Business and MBA in entrepreneurship, and Dr. Shafali Jeste, an autism researcher and pediatric neurologist, was created to use tennis as a mean to provide unique social and developmental benefits to children with autism. They currently serve 6,000 children across 150 programs nationwide.
The ITA is the governing body of college tennis and a coaches association, both an advocate and an authority for the sport and its members. The ITA is committed to serving college tennis and returning the leaders of tomorrow while promoting both the athletic and academic achievements of the collegiate tennis community. The ITA, founded in 1956, is comprised of more than 2,000 men’s and women’s varsity tennis teams representing more than 1,250 institutions, 3,000 college tennis coaches, 1,400 college tennis officials, while administering numerous regional and national championships, and the ITA College Tennis Rankings for 20,000 college varsity student-athletes across five levels of play. The ITA also bolsters an industry-leading awards program for players and coaches to honor excellence in academics, leadership, and sportsmanship. Keep up with all of the excitement around college tennis by visiting WeAreCollegeTennis.com and following the ITA on Facebook, Twitter (X), Instagram, TikTok, and LinkedIn.
