|
|
Sugam Langer
|
|
|
Jonathan Raude
|
By E.J. Crawford and Elaine Villani, USTAFoundation.com
The USTA Foundation was off and running at the 2014 TCS New York City Marathon, with an impressive, motivated team participating to support tennis and education programs that serve under-resourced youth, and to benefit individuals with disabilities and our military heroes.
The USTA Foundation’s team of 10 runners from across the nation raised more than $40,000 through the marathon’s charity program. This dedicated team of staff members and volunteers included two former NJTL participants, Sugam Langer and Jonathan Raude, who were thrilled with the opportunity to give back to the Foundation that supports the NJTL programs they benefitted from as kids.
“Sugam and Jonathan are shining examples of the positive effect a tennis and education program can have on a person’s life,” said Dan Faber, Executive Director, USTA Foundation. “Their lives were enriched by participating in the programs we support and now other youth will be given a chance to achieve, succeed and thrive, all because of their marathon fundraising and commitment to the Foundation’s mission to serve up dreams.”
At 11 years old, Langer joined the 15-LOVE program in Albany, N.Y., which is one of the hundreds of programs the USTA Foundation supports each year. 15-LOVE not only provides tennis lessons but also a safe, fun and positive learning environment with an emphasis on education and good health. Langer had never played tennis before entering the program but it wasn’t long before she set her sights on playing collegiately – which she did, going on to compete at Siena College. Today she is a successful attorney, working for Navigant Consulting in New York.
“The tennis lessons I received at 15-LOVE were rivaled by the life lessons I learned about character, self-confidence and a strong work ethic,” she said.
Raude started playing tennis as a child at New York Junior Tennis and Learning (NYJTL), which offers comprehensive school- and community-based programs with a mission of bringing the joys of tennis and education to underserved children. Raude, who credits NYJTL for helping channel his competitive spirit into improving his game, went on to play Division I college tennis at Boston College. In fact, he received a scholarship from the USTA Foundation that helped him attend the school. Today he works for IBM in Enterprise Marketing Management.
“We greatly admire Sugam and Jonathan for all they have been able to accomplish,” said Faber, “and we sincerely thank them for dedicating their marathon fundraising to the Foundation and giving back to the programs that changed their lives.”
Click on their names to read more about Sugam and Jonathan. And for more on Team USTA Foundation’s participation in the 2014 New York City Marathon, including bios of all the runners, please visit our TCS NYC Marathon homepage.