We are Golden Triangle Tennis, a nonprofit tennis and education organization out of Columbus, Mississippi. We are a Community Tennis Association (CTA) and a National Junior Tennis and Learning organization (NJTL). We exist for the purpose of promoting tennis and academic excellence to all kids, particularly those who might not otherwise have the opportunity.

We have been selected for an excellent opportunity! My NJTL group has been invited to attend this year's US Open championships, August 26 to have an on-court experience before one of the championship matches, and one of the kids will be selected to do the coin toss! We have to take 24 kids along with 24 guardians and three coaches to New York. It is our responsibility to get them there and lodge them while they're there. That will entail a flight as it is a 21-hour drive from Columbus, Mississippi to New York and two nights lodging. We would have to be on site at 8 o'clock in the morning the day of our performance, which means we would need to fly there the day before and fly out the day following.

We need funding for 24 kids (ages 8-15), 24 guardians, and 3 coaches to fly there and lodge in New York City. We estimate the cost to be around $500 per person for the flight and around $300 per night for the hotel given the New York rates around the time of the U.S. Open. Our organization serves about 80% underprivileged kids. Most families do not have the resources to fund this trip but are hopeful for their children to experience this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity! And how fitting that we are selected when Althea Gibson is being celebrated for breaking color barriers for kids like them to have the opportunity to participate in this great sport of tennis!