Executive Director's Message

Making a Difference

In my last report I wrote about how accountability and measurements were an integral part of programming and how MTEF developed the list of thirty-nine, a series of performance tests based on four core program areas – academics, tennis, fitness/nutrition, and attitude.

This list was a by-product of the Ford Foundation’s Community Building through Tennis initiative.  That grant provided MTEF with a lot more than just money. It offered technical assistance, some of the best consultants in the youth development field, and the opportunity to test and defend our hypothesis that the sport of tennis could transform a community.

Much effort went into selecting a community before we ultimately decided on Sherman Park.  With the assistance of the USTA, we visited numerous sites and met with the Mayor’s office on multiple occasions, and while the process was not easy, time has proven it to be a good decision.

Personally, selecting the Sherman Park Community was somewhat of a homecoming, as I was born in Sherman Park and spent the first nine years of my life there, living on 52nd street, just west of St. Joseph’s hospital, an area that has subsequently been torn down for a large hospital parking garage.

That was the early sixties, and the community was different back then.  The years have not been kind to many parts of this community, and at the time of this decision we had zero presence there.  Selecting Sherman Park was a gamble, plain and simple.

Fast forward to today and Sherman Park is a better place because of MTEF.  Our office is there. The community knows us and has embraced us, and our year-round programming plays an important role to the many members of the community, both young and old.  The number of partnerships that we have developed and maintained because of this effort is nothing short of staggering.

But Sherman Park’s greatest gift may not be the thousands of children that have come through the program, the numerous partnerships, nor even the technical assistance offered by the USTA and the Ford Foundation. 

This initiative reinforced our belief that what we do does make a difference.  We can provide something to communities that is valuable and that does matter, and it’s not just tennis.  As a matter of fact, tennis is just part of it.  An important part, for sure, but not the most important part.

Because of this project we have developed a metrics system that tests children in four core areas that we believe are critical to a child’s success.  While it has taken longer and been harder to implement than originally planned, we now have data that will substantiate what many of us have believed all along – MTEF is an important and vital part of the youth-development landscape in the Milwaukee community.

While this metrics system is new and we haven’t fully been able to wrap our arms around it, it is an important step in MTEF’s development because it makes us accountable to you, the people who support and believe in us, and who knows, maybe we’ll pick up a few new fans along the way.

Sincerely,

Jay-

To read about the list of thirty-nine click here.