PTR Foundation Truly Made a Difference!
March 2023

We celebrated Dennis Van Der Meer’s 90th birthday by honoring his legacy. Steve Keller, Senior Manager at the USTA, posted this on his Linkedin page: “Dennis opened innumerable doors for many players, coaches, and industry leaders. I often quote Dennis, especially to the next generation of coaches coming into the tennis ecosystem. His foundational approach to simplifying the game for players and coaches will continue to stand the test of time.”

Thank you, Steve, for posting this on our behalf.

Van Der Meer Alumni honored Dennis by sharing their experiences at the academy.

Maggie Harris, one of the players who trained at the academy, wrote, “I feel so fortunate to have known and been coached by Dennis, and to have been part of the academy family. It was truly a blessing and enriching experience. Both Dennis and Pat taught me so much about tennis, but also about life, teaching, and leadership that continues to today.”

Berhe Serekeberhan wrote, “Dennis was one of my mentors who gave me the skills to be creative by allowing me to share my skills, and that gave me the power to be myself in helping others.”

PTR Foundation provides a $1,000 scholarship each year for an incoming college freshman. This is targeted to deserving young men and women from the USTA/Southern Tennis Section.

Tennis industry women leaders supported the PTR Foundation by celebrating International women’s month. Idols like Billie Jean King, Emma Wells, Lucy Garvin, Pat Van Der Meer, Jean Mills, Tina Tharp, Delaine Mast, Lynne Rolley, Jolyn de Boer, Carol MacClennan, Paytin Snowball, Vania King, Anne Pankhurst, and Elizma Nortje provided women players and coaches with inspiring and motivating quotations. All the quotations can be found in our March social media posts.

Master Professional, Tina Tharp inspired us…
“Whether it’s in sport or in life : you either win or you learn. When faced with a difficult situation, embrace the struggle and come out the other side a much stronger version of yourself. And then, pass along that knowledge to others so they can strive to succeed.” #EmbraceEquity.

Our family of PTR members has helped to amplify the impact of the PTR Foundation. Your spirit to give back is instrumental in providing the foundation with the resources needed to realize its mission to make tennis available to everyone.

Your continuing support will help us escalate our ability to create more opportunities for scholarships, member support, career development, and worldwide goodwill – all of which will serve to preserve the legacy of our founder – Dennis Van Der Meer.

Together – we can truly make a world of difference in shaping the future of the game of tennis.

Scott Tharp, Chairman
PTR Foundation

2023 Donation Goal - $100,000
17%

We have an ambition to help you, but we can’t do it alone.

We continued to celebrate IWM by doing something we have never done before. We awarded 14 scholarships to women who took PTR Level 1 in March. Thank you to the PTR staff for helping us select the award recipients. Welcome to all the new women certified PTR members!

Madie Renner, an award recipient wrote this:
“Madie wants to thank all of her amazing coaches she has had in her life, as well as her Grandpa John for passing down his love of tennis to her. Thank you to the PTR Foundation for this amazing opportunity to continue growing in her coaching career. She is very excited to be a part of the PTR family!”

With our donors’ assistance, we hope to continue to grant awards to women tennis coaches next year as well.

The PTR Foundation awarded $2,500 to the Serving Love Foundation. Serving Love Foundation is a non-profit organization focused on improving the health and wellness of Native American communities through racquet sports. We were impressed by Pete Peterson’s passion and commitment to help the Native American community through tennis. Keep up the great work Pete!

Do you want to buy a birthday gift or encourage your associate pro? ‘Building a Successful Tennis Career’ by Jack Thompson is a great gift for all levels of tennis professionals. It’s an A to Z guide to survive and prosper as a teaching professional. Jack is generously donating $7.95 from every sale to the PTR Foundation. Jack, thanks for all you’ve done to inspire and educate our members and for your thoughtful gift to the foundation.

Looking for Ways to Engage with the PTR Foundation?

VDM Alumni

We share our stories to inspire and instruct the next generation of tennis players across the globe. 

Support Our Work

Through the Foundation, tennis programs have been developed in low-income housing projects, after school latch-key programs, at-risk, youth programs and wheelchair tennis rehabilitation programs.

PTRF Grant

The PTRF proudly supports projects that promote and preserve the legacy, vision, and spirit of PTR Founder, Dennis Van Der Meer. Consideration for funding will be given to educational, life enrichment, mentoring, and tennis programs.

Get the latest information on events, volunteer opportunities, fundraisers activities and ways you can get further involved.

Social & Netowrking Events

Here is your opportunity to connect and network with like-minded professionals! Your PTR International Racquets Conference includes several exciting networking events like cocktail receptions, dinner parties, and an industry breakfast. These are always exciting events that allow our PTR family to get to know one another while enjoying a beautiful resort!

Join Us at the Incredible SaddleBrook Resort

We’re covering it all… tennis, pickleball, and padel! At the PTR International Racquets Conference, you will find several days dedicated to tennis, pickleball, and padel to round out this total racquets conference! There will also be workshops available to become certified in various racquet sports- this is a great opportunity to become a dual impact member and elevate your coaching career!

Join Us at the Incredible SaddleBrook Resort

Nestled in the beautiful Tampa Bay area, this legendary resort is not only a premier vacation destination, it’s also one of the world’s most preeminent athletic training facilities. Don’t forget to explore the nearby world-famous beaches for an unforgettable coastal experience!

Enjoy an incredible resort minutes from the Gulf of Mexico while gaining career-changing insights in the world of coaching!