We raise funds to enable disadvantaged children and adults gain access to the physical, mental and social benefits of playing tennis and joining in with our communities. Our principles are inclusion, diversity and transparency.
We work through the VTA’s four centres in Melbourne: Fawkner Park (South Yarra), Powlett Reserve (East Melbourne), Caulfield Park, and Caloola Reserve in Oakleigh.
The VTAF email address is: foundation@victennisacademy.com.au
Our website is: http://VTAFoundation.org.au
Alternatively you can contact any of the Board/Committee members – please see the website for details – through any of the four centres or directly if you know us personally.
We are a registered charity with deductible gift recipient status, which means that all donations are tax-deductible. We currently operate as a purely volunteer organisation, with no employees and minimal overheads. Our Board/Committee members devote their time and skills gratis to the Foundation.
We have several programs that we support through our fund-raising, which are delivered through the VTA. These include giving annual scholarships to disadvantaged children to join group coaching sessions with other children*; working with particular schools, whose students are disadvantaged in many ways, to provide tailored programs that suit those schools’ needs; and supporting other tennis charities with similar aims, such as Rally4Ever.
* We partner with organisations such as local primary schools who manage the relationships with the families. Please contact the VTAF for more information about referral and enrolment.
We hold one or two major fund-raising events a year. Our key event is our Foundation Day, which brings together the VTA coaches, players, sponsors, donors and friends for a fun-filled but competitive event based around auctioning the coaches off to the highest bidder to partner in the event, and music, food and drink. As well as being part of our community and what it means.
Other ways of fund-raising include activities organised by our supporters group, regular donations, and sponsorship of a program.
Yes, certainly! Go to the donate link here, which will offer you the choice of a single donation, or a regular monthly donation, which means a lot to us as your ongoing support of our initiatives.
There are many ways. Financial support is extremely helpful so that we can plan and maintain our activities to deliver our programs. We are also delighted to welcome anyone with skills that will help the VTAF – such as our media presence, organisational skills, legal, financial expertise and so on. Please contact a member of the Board/Committee (see FAQ 3) to discuss how you can offer us your help.
We have established partnerships with Fitzroy Primary School, the Victorian College for the Deaf and Eastwood School, Caulfield to include their students in our programs, and are talking with several others to see what we can offer their students. We also partner with other charities, such as Rally4Ever and TeamSports4All, who have similar aims. Other community groups include Stonnington Youth Services, Melbourne City Council, and LaunchHousing. We are looking to expand these partnerships as being the most effective way to recruit our students and manage the relationships with them.
