BRONX,
N.Y., June 27, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- On
June 28, 2024, the Matt Stevenson
Junior Tennis Tournament (NY) will host a
first-of-its-kind Kickoff Event and Dinner
Program for its upcoming USTA-sanctioned competition.
Because of its popularity, the Tournament has expanded to include
both L5 Singles (June 29-July 1 and
July 6-8) and L5 Doubles/Mixed
Doubles (July 13-15). The Tournament
will be held at the Cary Leeds Center for Tennis & Learning in
Bronx, NY.
The Matt Stevenson Tournament combines top-tier competition with
a focus on mental health awareness. The Kickoff Event will
begin on June 28 with a free
junior tennis clinic for all registered players from
4-5:30 pm, followed by
a dinner reception and program featuring various
speakers on the importance of mental health both on and off the
tennis court, especially for junior players during their adolescent
years.
This year's theme for the Tournament is: Community,
Connection, Co-opetition. "Although the junior players will be
competing against one another in the Tournament, we want
them to feel a sense of connection with each other and with
the community as a whole," said Gary
P. Poon, the Tournament Organizer. "That is part of our
Mental Health Mission."
At the 2023 U.S. Open, the President of the USTA, Dr.
Brian Hainline, hosted a forum on
"Mental Health and Sport: Why It Matters," with Michael Phelps, Naomi Osaka, and Surgeon General
Dr. Vivek Murthy. "At the Matt
Stevenson Tournament, we would like to show the junior players why
mental health matters," added Poon.
The Kickoff Event and Dinner is free for every registered
player and one accompanying adult. Additional guests:
$20 (over 12); $10 (12-and-under).
Promoting The Power of Mental
Health®
Growing in popularity each year, the Matt Stevenson Junior
Tennis Tournament brings awareness about mental health issues to
the junior level. As in previous years, the Tournament seeks to
address the Youth Mental Health Crisis by distributing
age-appropriate information about depression, anxiety, and suicide
prevention provided by the American Foundation for Suicide
Prevention (AFSP) and materials available from the National
Institute of Mental Health (NIMH). Sport Psychology materials,
including an interactive Sport Psychology Workbook, are also
included to show the interrelationship between mental performance
on the tennis court and mental health off the court. The mission is
to help adolescents understand the many aspects of mental health,
including what it means to be mentally healthy and how to take care
of their mental health. We call it The Power of Mental
Health®. Please view a short video of the Tournament's mental
health mission.
About Matt
Stevenson
The inspiration behind the Tournament came from the late
Matt Stevenson, a young, generous,
and passionate tennis professional who ran successful junior tennis
programs in the Washington, D.C.
area. Before tragically taking his own life in 2017 at the age of
32, he had written extensively about his own mental health issues
and had asked that kids be made aware of the importance of mental
health and to seek help if needed. This Tournament aims to turn a
tragedy into something positive.
All proceeds from the Tournament will benefit the Matt Stevenson
Junior Tennis Fund, which supports junior tennis programs and
promising junior players needing financial aid. A portion of the
net proceeds will be donated to AFSP, Cary
Leeds's junior tennis programs, and the Junior Tennis
Foundation, a NY-based nonprofit organization that supports tennis
programs for underserved youth and people with disabilities.
About ProtoStar Foundation
The sponsor and organizer of the Tournament is the ProtoStar
Foundation, a California nonprofit
501(c)(3) organization based in San Diego. It is part of the
ProtoStar Group, a set of pioneering companies that find
resourceful ways to fund, develop, or incubate innovative projects
and organizations that have a unique, compelling, and impactful
social mission.
Media Contacts:
Vivien Abraham, vivien.abraham@icloud.com (email
& inquiries)
Gary P.
Poon, (202) 360-1160 (at Tournament Site)
Website:
https://protostargroup.com/portfolio/matt-stevenson-junior-tennis-tournament/
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SOURCE ProtoStar Foundation