New York Junior Tennis & Learning (NYJTL) Hosts Annual Gala

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Linnea Mumma, linnea@anatgerstein.com, 347-861-4167

New York Junior Tennis & Learning (NYJTL) Hosts Annual Gala Celebrating Countless Achievements and 51 Years of Service

—Founded in 1971 by Arthur Ashe, the 51-year-old organization will hold this celebration at the Ziegfeld Ballroom, bringing together famed tennis players, Scholar Athletes, and a dance floor turned tennis court for all to enjoy—

—Over the past year, NYJTL expanded its ACES program to include mental health services for youth, invited several professional former tennis players to Cary Leeds to provide free tennis lessons for underserved communities, and helped cultivate bonds and lasting relationships between the NYPD and burgeoning young tennis players by bringing them out to the courts—

(New York, N.Y.) — New York Junior Tennis & Learning will celebrate 51 years of service at its “For Scholars, For Athletes, For New York City” gala on May 2, 2023 at the Ziegfeld Ballroom in midtown Manhattan. The nonprofit’s second-ever nighttime event, this year’s gala will provide a night of tennis, reflection, and dancing in the company of like-minded champions who will honor the lasting legacy of the organization and champion the growth and opportunities ahead.

“I am proud to be part of an organization that is committed to leveling the playing field — not just in tennis, but in providing academic enrichment opportunities and mental health support systems,” said Udai Tambar, President and CEO of New York Junior Tennis & Learning. “Throughout our history, NYJTL has been a home to 85,000 youth and countless dedicated staff who have joined together to bring positivity and light to their communities. It is a joy to celebrate this year and to honor those who make it easy to love what you do.”

Tickets to the gala — which will begin with a reception at 6:30 p.m., followed by a program, dinner and dancing — can be purchased at nyjtl.org/annual-gala/.

The gala will honor Larry Leeds — who brought the Cary Leeds Center for Tennis & Learning to life — and Stuart Weitzman — a champion of the organization’s Scholar Athlete Program — with the Charles B. Benenson Leadership Award for their many years of dedication to tennis and the community, both on and off the court.

The event will also feature many special guests such as Cari Champion, host of The Cari Champion Show on Amazon Prime Video Sports Talk and former host of the Tennis Channel and ESPN2’s First Take, who will be the emcee over the course of the evening.

The organization’s 2022-2023 season has been a particularly impactful one. Over the summer, NYJTL partnered with Hunter College Silberman School of Social Work to bring social work interns and a social worker to its ACES Afterschool programming, which serves nearly 5,000 youth in more than 30 afterschool programs around the city. As the youth mental health crisis persists in this country, NYJTL recognized the importance of ensuring that its youth feel comfortable and open in speaking about their mental health challenges.

Additionally, NYJTL began its Holding Court: Player Series this year and invited former professional tennis players Lori McNeil and Chris Eubanks to the Cary Leeds Center to provide free tennis instruction and academic support to hundreds of youth in underserved communities, making for a day of fun activities and learning experiences.

The organization also had a week of success with its annual President’s Cup, a tournament for kids part of its renowned Community Tennis Program, which provides youth ages 5-18 with free tennis instruction from trained coaches in schools and public parks in all 51 New York City council districts year round.

These are just a few examples of the work done this year. Since the organization was founded in 1971, it has reached significant milestones that have greatly contributed to the well-being of hundreds of thousands of New York City’s youth. In 2015, NYJTL opened the Cary Leeds Center, an indoor and outdoor space with 22 courts in the south Bronx that now provides more than 6,000 hours of free court time to underserved youth throughout New York City. And in 2022, NYJTL launched its Scholar Athlete Program, offering youth in grades 3-12 in-depth tennis instruction, educational enrichment, and college preparedness with the goal of 100% high school graduation and college entrance to create socioeconomic mobility.

For more information about the celebration and to purchase tickets that will support underserved NYC youth, please visit: https://www.nyjtl.org/annual-gala/

About the honorees:

Larry Leeds

Laurence C. Leeds, Jr. (“Larry”) had two distinguished careers. He retired as Chairman of Buckingham Capital Management, Inc, a New York based investment advisor, in 2019. He joined Buckingham after leaving Manhattan Industries following a hostile takeover led by Michael Milken.

Leeds entered the investment industry in 1988, when he became an analyst for The Buckingham Research Group, Inc. In 1996, he started Buckingham Capital’s RAF fund which, as its name suggests, invested primarily in retail, apparel, and footwear related equities.

Leeds launched his career in financial services after a fulfilling career in the apparel industry which began in 1955, when he joined the Manhattan Shirt Company, founded by his great-grandfather in 1857. After a series of promotions, he became the President in 1968. In 1974, he became Chairman of the Board and Chief Executive Officer of Manhattan Industries, a post he maintained until 1988. One of Leeds’ notable success stories was his role in the discovery of the designer Perry Ellis and the launching of his career.

Leeds is a graduate of the Lawrenceville School and received a BA from Yale University and a MBA from the Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania. For many years he was the Republican District Leader for the New York 66th Assembly. He has served on the Development Board of Yale University and the Board of Carnegie Hall, D.A.R.E New York, and Phoenix House. He currently serves on the Boards of the FIT Foundation, Prep for Prep, New York Junior Tennis & Learning, Alzheimer’s Drug Discover Foundation, and the Hudson Institute. Additionally, after 15 years as a Trustee, he now serves as an Overseer of NYU Langone Health.

Leeds served on active duty in the United States Naval Reserve from 1952 until 1955. He has two daughters, Ashley and Tracy Leeds, and six grandchildren. He was also the father of Cary Leeds, who passed away in 2003, and loving husband to Dalia Benary for over 60 years until her passing in 2016. He remarried in 2022 and lives in New York City, Palm Beach, FL, and Stamford, CT with his wife Ginger. He is an avid tennis and golf player and is a member and former golf champion of The Century Country Club in Purchase, New York and the Hollywood Golf Club in Deal, NJ.

About Stuart Weitzman:

Stuart Weitzman’s passion for design has been a lifelong pursuit, leading to the internationally renowned company that bears his name. He has been honored extensively for his unique approach to entrepreneurship, and for his uncompromising commitment to prioritizing function as an integral element of fashion.

Today, his shoes dominate red carpet events and are worn by celebrity fans around the world. Beyoncé, Kate Middleton, Meghan Markle, Taylor Swift, and Jennifer Lopez are just a few who are regularly seen in his designs, along with millions of other women in over 70 countries.

Weitzman approaches his extensive charitable endeavors with equal commitment. Among these are his ongoing support for a wide range of hospitals and medical research centers, youth and sports organizations, and cultural institutions. He regularly mentors students on their entrepreneurial and design aspirations at several universities, including the University of Pennsylvania, Princeton, Yale, Dartmouth, and the London Business School. He is a graduate of the Wharton School of Business at Penn, where the university has honored him by renaming their design and architecture school the Stuart Weitzman School of Design.

During his free time you may find him on the tennis court or at the ping-pong table. If you’ve got a racket, he’ll welcome the challenge.

About NYJTL

The mission of New York Junior Tennis & Learning (NYJTL) is to develop the character of young people through tennis and education for a lifetime of success on and off the court. Since 1971, NYJTL has changed lives through tennis, education, healthy living, and character development programs. Today, it is the largest youth tennis and education non-profit in the nation, reaching more than 85,000 K-12 New York City youth.

NYJTL provides after school programming in approximately 30 schools and community tennis programming at approximately 40 sites throughout New York City in the summer months and at additional sites that operate during the school year. In addition, NYJTL designed, funded (with NYC), built and operates the Cary Leeds Center for Tennis & Learning, at which it provides free and commercial tennis programming year-round as well as life skills, character development and healthy living lessons. All NYJTL community tennis and after school programs are offered at no cost to its participants.

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