NJTL Chapter taking off in Tunica

When Arthur Ashe, Charlie Pasarell, and Sheridan Snyder formed the National Junior Tennis & Learning program in partnership with the USTA in 1969, they might not have envisioned it growing into a program that would impact kids all over the country.

But 45 years later, over 500 programs have formed nationwide that provide opportunities to over 225,000 under-resourced youth.  NJTL programs aim to provide educational opportunities and resources while also teaching the sport of tennis to kids that might not otherwise have the chance to be exposed to the sport.

One of the newest NJTL’s that has been formed across the country is right here in Mississippi, as a group of community leaders in Tunica have formed an organization titled Family Biz Builder.  Originally started as a non profit organization by Peggie Henderson and an interested group of adults in the area to empower local youth and provide them with life skills and educational opportunities, the group then found out about the NJTL program and adopted a “Sports and Fitness” component to their organization.  15 area youth began learning the sport of tennis through the organization in 2015, and thanks to the support of grants and donations from a variety of sources, the program has now expanded and has close to 60 kids being exposed to the sport of tennis.

For more information on Mississippi’s newest NJTL, visit www.familybizbuilder.com