Altruic Advisors works with hundreds of nonprofit organizations across the country, each with its own unique mission. Among the many inspiring organizations that we serve, a few stand out for their commitment to creating good in their communities.
The Denver Tennis Park, or DTP, is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization dedicated to advancing youth development through equitable access to tennis. The Altruic team has worked alongside the DTP since 2018, the same year they opened their doors to Denver residents.
The DTP collaborates with local schools and other community-based organizations to make tennis more accessible to everyone. You will often see kids and adults of all ages practicing at the DTP’s state-of-the-art indoor/outdoor tennis facility in Denver, from elementary school children to the University of Denver tennis teams.
Gabriel Guillaume, President of the Denver Tennis Park, recently took some time out of his busy day to share why DTP is so special to the Denver community.
Cathy: Tell us a little bit about the Denver Tennis Park.
Gabriel: The DTP is the result of a shared vision between Denver Public Schools (DPS), University of Denver (DU), and some very thoughtful philanthropists who collectively believed that tennis is an extraordinary tool for youth development and needed to be made accessible to all in the Denver area. DPS and DU both made financial investments in the construction of the building and as part of the partnership have a guaranteed process by which they each have negotiated access to the facility every year. Prior to the DTP facility being built, the current footprint was actually a retaining pond for flood overflow. The DTP is located at All City Stadium, the primary fields for DPS sports. I believe the ground-breaking took place in late 2017 and the doors opened in November 2018. There are seven indoor courts and six outdoor courts.
Cathy: The University of Denver tennis teams call the DTP home. Do you find that younger kids look up to the college teams?
Gabriel: Yes, both the women’s and men’s DU Division 1 tennis teams practice and play at the DTP. It is arguably the best display of tennis in the state of Colorado. Many kids regularly watch the DU teams practice and play, and are amazed by the power, control, and energy they display. I have noticed that in particular, the girls are most amazed by the women’s team, because of their power. Most of the DU players aren’t large but they hit with extraordinary power, reminding all of us that technique is far more important than muscle development. We have had former DU team members be instructors. They aren’t allowed to coach while they are on the team for a variety of reasons including what could be deemed inappropriate recruitment.
Photos provided by Denver Tennis Park
Cathy: What kind of tennis background do your staff and instructors have?
Gabriel: It is incredibly mixed. In fact, one of my favorite characteristics of our instructor team is just how unique and diverse they are. Some are past high school coaches, others have been teaching tennis independently for years and now have found a home at the DTP, others were former players who have now invested in learning to be highly effective coaches with the DTP. We have extraordinary racial, gender, and age diversity and that is critically important for an organization trying to engage people and communities that don’t necessarily have a relationship with tennis. One thing that is a constant though is that all of our instructors have to love and be good at teaching kids.
Cathy: How do the instructors keep it fun for beginners?
Gabriel: One of the things I really like about the DTP is that we have set a culture that takes our clientele seriously, but not ourselves. We know that tennis is hard, we know that some people are dogmatic about how to play tennis, and we know that most people who try the sport don’t stick with it. So we approach it with a simplicity and understanding that this is a game and it is meant to be fun. We keep the sport simple, we make fun of ourselves a lot, and as a result keep it lighthearted. We never want anyone here feeling judged or inadequate. Tennis is hard enough, so let’s just have fun with it and each other. I think the fact that we are a kids-first organization gives us an edge with adults too. Youth tend to see the world in more simple terms than adults. Our constant interaction with kids helps us maintain that simplicity. That’s not to say we don’t hold players and each other accountable, but we do so with a commitment to being our best selves on and off the court. That carries over to everything we do here, including how we engage adult drills.
Photos provided by Denver Tennis Park
Cathy: Now that the doors have been open for a while, do you see some of the same families return year after year?
Gabriel: We have a very loyal base of people that come each year. Of course, that has grown immensely since COVID restrictions were lifted and our team began to grow. Now we have some challenges in just getting everyone to find a court or program to participate in. Our waiting lists are extensive both for adults and youth. There are a handful of families I have been able to really get to know in my 2.5 years here. Because I’m not an instructor, I don’t get to know most of the youth that come here. However, I do build relationships with the families who receive scholarships to participate in DTP programming. Those families are amazing. The kids are vibrant and usually absolutely love tennis. The parents are so committed to making sure their kids have opportunities, often opportunities they didn’t have themselves. No matter your income, it takes a lot of courage to accept financial aid. Most people are too prideful to take it, but for these parents, when it comes to their kids, they will lay down in front of a train to give them the best future.
“No matter your income, it takes a lot of courage to accept financial aid.”
We are proud to be a part of that commitment. The kids are amazing in that they know what their parents are sacrificing. Their family unit is so strong and often in the face of challenges many of us would fold under. Our whole team becomes close with these families in particular, but I would say that there isn’t a single kid (on financial aid or not) who comes to the DTP that isn’t known fairly well by at least one instructor. We know and love all of the kids that come here. It’s always been hard to be a kid, but I think it might be a bit harder now. The implications of social media, unprecedented fear about the future, the academic and social impact of the COVID-restricted years… Kids might be growing up faster right now, and while that may be seen as a good thing, the adult life has high levels of stress and over-thinking. It is such a gift to be a kid, and we hope they can be just that while they are here, learning skills, character, values, and healthy behaviors.
Photos provided by Denver Tennis Park
Cathy: In your opinion, what makes the Denver Tennis Park special?
“Most schools with tennis programs are predominantly white and in higher-resourced communities. ”
Gabriel: The DTP is special in so many ways. We are the only nonprofit, non-membership, non-governmental indoor tennis facility in at least the Denver metro area, if not the state. We reach about 3,000 youth annually, making us the largest youth tennis program in the state of Colorado. We are the only tennis facility that is specifically committed to youth. Others have youth programs, but we prioritize youth (“kids-first” policy). However, above all, it’s the DTP commitment to bringing tennis into under-resourced neighborhoods and/or communities of color. For so long, tennis has been seen as a sport of not only privilege but a complete lack of awareness of the challenges so many face. For many, tennis is for people who don’t have a clue what is going on in under-resourced communities. That has been changing with more diversity showing up at the professional levels, but still most schools with tennis programs are predominantly white and in higher-resourced communities. The USTA Foundation and many of its grantees, including the DTP, are committed to changing that, and for us it is a priority.
“We are all-in on making tennis accessible. ”
We are bringing tennis into under-resourced parts of Denver, introducing tennis in schools that don’t offer the sport, offering free programs to various parts of the city, and providing scholarships for those who want - but can’t afford - to play year-round tennis here at the DTP. More than half of the kids we are reaching reside in under-resourced communities. We build partnerships with other youth-focused organizations, we work to create a diverse staff, we are intentional about how this facility can be welcoming to many cultures, and we even created a Community Advisory Council made up of community leaders and parents to guide our work. We are all-in on making tennis accessible and that puts us on the cutting edge of bringing tennis to everyone. That was the vision of the DTP from the start, and while we have a long way to go, we are making extraordinary progress.
Cathy: Tell us about your upcoming Raise a Racquet Charity Bash on October 14th. How did this event come about?
Gabriel: One of our benefactors built a relationship with John McEnroe and basically gifted us the opportunity to hold an event that utilizes McEnroe’s celebrity and aligned commitment to youth tennis. The Raise a Racquet event isn’t just about fundraising, it is more about establishing awareness of the DTP’s mission and goals. Many people only know that the DTP is a high-quality indoor facility that focuses on kids. We want everyone to know and join us in our mission to ensure that the youth development that tennis contributes to should – and can – be in the hands of every family, regardless of socioeconomic status, race, gender, or geography. We hope this event will kick off a movement of inclusion within the local tennis community, while also establishing a base of donors who want to support this effort annually.
Cathy: What can attendees expect on the night of the event?
Gabriel: First, it is being held at our facility, which is saying something because turning an indoor tennis facility into a major event venue is complicated. However, it will also be very unique and beautiful and we are excited to have it here. The event itself will exhibit a combination of formality and casual. Cocktail attire with tennis shoes! We start off with a VIP opportunity to enjoy some light food and drinks with McEnroe himself. The main event will include a wonderful meal, a youth-focused program featuring about 4-6 kids sharing their experiences, and then a live auction event that includes some amazing items brought by McEnroe. It will end with McEnroe and his band playing into the night and plenty of dancing. It’ll be a lot of fun! Tickets and sponsorships are still open, just go to the Denver Tennis Park website to learn more.
Thank you to Gabriel for answering our questions! Altruic Advisors is so proud to work with such a passionate and unique organization. If you would like to join the fun on October 14th, you can purchase tickets to the Denver Tennis Park’s Raise a Racquet Charity Bash at https://www.denvertennispark.org/events.
To support the Denver Tennis Park from afar, you can donate here.
Watch the video below to learn more about how Altruic Advisors invests in the success of clients like the Denver Tennis Park.
