Vermont Business Magazine The Vermont Community Foundation is pleased to share that the Addison Community Athletics Foundation and Middlebury Indoor Tennis have been named 2024 Organization of the Year by the U.S. Tennis Association of New England. The award recognizes the quality and diversity of youth programs at the nonprofit facility and its commitment to making programs accessible and affordable to the local community.
David and Eleanor Ignat of Ripton opened Middlebury Indoor Tennis in 2001. It’s now owned and operated by the Addison Community Athletics Foundation, which they established at the Vermont Community Foundation. Its mission complements the Vermont Community Foundation’s commitment to build philanthropic resources that sustain healthy and vital Vermont communities now and into the future.
The Ignats, the Addison Community Athletics Foundation Board, Middlebury Indoor Tennis pros Franz Collas and Heather Potter, and General Manager Brian McDonough thank USTA New England for the award. It’s the support of the whole community and the collective effort of many people, including the staff and membership of the facility, that have helped make Middlebury Indoor Tennis a valuable resource, they said.
“Our slogan ‘Game for Life’ says a lot,” David Ignat said, adding that he and Eleanor envisioned a tennis facility that would offer affordable programs and bring people of all ages, young and old, to the game year-round.
The programming being recognized would not be possible without the generosity of David and Eleanor Ignat, added Potter, who in addition to teaching tennis is director of communications at Middlebury Indoor Tennis. “They’ve made an incredible investment in our community. The number of lives they have impacted in a positive way has been truly remarkable.”
Children who first chase the ball in “Tiger Tennis” at Middlebury Indoor Tennis sometimes go on to teach drills there as teens. Or they play on the local high school tennis team, which practices at the facility.
Whether or not the game leads to a high school athletics career, youths in the tennis programs make friends, learn about sportsmanship, and have fun racing around the court. Scholarships and low-cost programs serve hundreds of children and families who play on the three indoor courts at the facility or other locations through partnerships with local schools and parks departments.
Middlebury Indoor Tennis courts are busy seven days a week. The players include adults who enjoy the camaraderie of playing team tennis through USTA leagues. “Everybody plays for a different reason,” said Collas, director of tennis at the facility. “Some people play because they like to hit the ball back and forth, some people because they like the exercise, and some people like the competition.”
In an era when there is growing recognition that recreation can build health, wellness, and meaningful social connections, Middlebury Indoor Tennis is an example of a place that helps create those benefits for the community. It’s particularly rewarding to see youngsters who started playing at the facility when they were 5 or 6 now helping to teach tennis in the youth programs that Middlebury Indoor Tennis offers, Collas said. “These are kids that learn from us and are able to pass that on to other kids.”
The Vermont Community Foundation was established in 1986 as an enduring source of philanthropic support for Vermont communities. A family of more than 1,000 funds, foundations, and supporting organizations, the Foundation makes it easy for the people who care about Vermont to find and fund the causes they love. The Community Foundation and its partners put more than $60 million annually to work in Vermont communities and beyond. The heart of its work is closing the opportunity gap—the divide that leaves too many Vermonters struggling to get ahead, no matter how hard they work. The Community Foundation envisions Vermont at its best—where everyone can build a bright, secure future. Visit vermontcf.org or call 802-388-3355 for more information.
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