By Karen Ronney
The Mountain View Sports & Racquet Club recently completed its LED court lighting project and the SCTA Foundation was proud to help support this community effort. The seven court facility located at Martin Luther King Jr. Park is home to the MVSRC, which serves a diverse population in South San Diego.
The Light Up a Life campaign was divided into two phases over a five-year period. The first was upgrading the existing lights on the back four courts to state-of-the-art LED fixtures. The club raised $30,000 through fundraisers, special events, donations and community support. The second phase targeted the front three courts that did not have lights. This portion required extensive funding for lighting preparation, installation and the fixtures.
“This facility is a really important part of the San Diego and Southern California tennis community,” said Linda Milan, the Executive Director for the SCTA Foundation. “It serves players of all ages, levels and ethnicities. It’s one of the few public facilities in the area that meets the needs of so many. We are proud to help make this happen.”
Mountain View Sports & Racquet club has a strong membership that offers a wonderful menu including a National Junior Tennis and Learning (NJTL) program, classes for kids and adults, adult leagues, USTA tournaments, club mixers, junior team tennis, after school classes, high school team practices and matches. There something for everyone at MVSRC.
“When we started the Light up a Life” campaign it wasn’t just about the lights. It was about giving kids and adults a safe place to play and have fun,” said Frances Simpson-Lang, President of the MVSRC. “With the new lights on the courts, families can now come out after school and/or after work and play well into the evening. Our junior programming has gone from having 16 kids on one court to about 5 or 6 kids per court. This allows junior players to get the training and mentorship they need to advance to high school and/or college tennis.”
Lighting equipment for the project was provided by NLS Lighting with lighting installation services performed by G-Force Electric & Construction Co. This project was financed by a combination of generous support from the SCTA Foundation, Michael T.P. Chang Foundation, Farrell Family Foundation, Flocke & Avoyer, Greater San Diego City Tennis Council, McGrory Family Fund, MVSRC donors, ProtoStar Group, San Diego District Tennis Association and Wax Family Fund.
The SCTA Foundation’s mission of “Changing Lives and Communities through Tennis,” serves as a pathway to offer financial support to individuals and organizations. We are a 501c3 nonprofit organization and the charitable arm of USTA Southern California. We help people of all ages and abilities to improve their health, fitness and quality of life through the sport of tennis. Founded in 1986, the SCTA Foundation has had a community impact of giving more than $500,000 last year through grants, scholarships, program support, equipment and more to recipients throughout Southern California. We rely on the generosity of donors, foundations, businesses, corporations and other entities to fulfill our mission. To learn more about the SCTA Foundation, please visit sctafoundation.org. To donate CLICK HERE.
*Special thanks to David Gill of the Greater San Diego City Tennis Council for contributing to this report.
