Christine Grant

The NWTO 2023-24 Community Grant program criteria aims to support local efforts to encourage adolescent girls and women lacking resources to play tennis and participate in programs which emphasize the values of teamwork, life skills, resiliency, and good “sportsmanship”. Ideally, the programs will provide models for other communities.

Otsego High School Girls’ Tennis Foundation in southwestern Michigan, one of two 2023-2024 recipients, exemplifies the impact that an experienced and motivated coach, along with dedicated volunteers, can have to transform the participation, performance,  self-confidence, and enduring team spirit of a girls high school tennis team. 

Jennifer Aldrich, a former college player and successful high school coach, moved to Otsego from another town with her daughter, where she had been a successful coach. She found the Otsego program lacked players. Resources were limited to a grocery cart of old tennis balls, no uniforms, and some borrowed rackets.

She recruited players including volleyball players, taught them the basics, and emphasized they were athletes first and could master anything they wanted to. The newly developed team won Otsego’s first ever Wolverine Conference title in Jennifer’s first year. The team size spurted to 30 girls who were expected to help raise money for basics, as a team effort. There is now both JV and varsity and a “No cut “rule.

The one-time NWTO grant of $2500 will be used primarily for Honoria for the volunteer college-age coaches who travel to coach, and also for supplies. NWTO’s grant has already given the community additional pride in their Girls High School Tennis and is hoped to help build an enduring group of supporters. In Spring 2023, as seen in the pictures, the Otsego girls team continued its enthusiasm, progress, and success.