Father’s Day Tennis & Jazz Brunch Recognizing the 100th Anniversary of the American Tennis Association

LOS ANGELES - June 19, 2015 - PRLog -- In honor of Father’s Day, June 21, 2015, at Catalina Jazz Club Ronita Elder of USTA and SCTA Diversity and Inclusion will be hosting a fundraiser to send tennis youths and their families to the national championships in Fort Lauderdale, Florida in 2017. The event starts at noon on the patio of the famous LA jazz club.  Outside is a women’s exhibit called the “International Barrier Breakers of Women in Tennis.” It is an eight-panel exhibit display that shows decades of champions of all colors from the 1900s to present time. In addition to the exhibit outside is a vibrant Sport Court.

“The Sport Court is a very colorful court that Prince Micro Sport calls ‘Re-imagining Tennis’; smaller courts that you can put in your backyard, which will also be on the patio of the Catalina Jazz Club. Families will be able to play with their children, grandchildren, each other, and share in the history of the ATA.”—Ronita Elder.

Most people are familiar in some way with USTA (United States Tennis Association); and the SCTA (Southern California Tennis Association). But the ATA (American Tennis Association) has changed the face of tennis, broken through barriers, created opportunities and champions for the last 100 years. This unique event will tell the story of the ATA’s 100-year journey to grow tennis during a time when people of color were not allowed to play. Coming up on its 100^th anniversary, the ATA is older than USTA—not the USLTA (United States Lawn Tennis Association)—both divisions where Ronita Elder is employed. Elder has been working in tennis for over 25 years, and she has been with the tennis association for 21 of those years. In addition to her position with the SCTA, she has been a tennis player her entire life, starting in high school, then college, and as a professional; Elder also works in Beverly Hills as a tennis specialist.

“There is so much history, but we do have a strong ATA contingent of people who have participated in the national championships. So being in this position as Director of Diversity and Inclusion, I thought it was a great opportunity for me to be a part of something that gets the “flow” going here in Southern California to raise money to send youth from Southern California to the 100^th anniversary of the ATA in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, in 2017. Getting those kids to Florida is pretty expensive. It’s a great opportunity in a lot of ways, because Southern Cal’s level of tennis is so high. To get a bunch of Southern Cal kids to go to Florida to play tennis and realize just how good they are has tremendous benefits. Other organizations between now and then will be a part of raising funds for this cause. There are about five [tennis] clubs here, and there are a lot of good people and families that don’t really know about the ATA.”

After the outdoor event, there will be a brunch inside Catalina’s, followed by jazz entertainment with the Andre Delano Quartet. A special award will be given posthumously to community organizer LaRhonda Amos, former founding member of the PBSF (Pete Brown Scholarship Foundation) and editor of the Net Games News.

“Tennis for me is a sport that saved my life; not that I was on a bad track with gangs or anything, but it was just a real important sport in my life that I gravitated to; and I was able to make a career out of it, raise a family, and ‘be in the game.’ I’ve been around and have seen a lot of the great players, including Arthur Ashe. Southern California’s history of great tennis players is the richest history in America,” continues Ronita Elder.

Mistress and Master of Ceremonies for the afternoon will be Jazz entertainer and magazine publisher Kaylene Peoples and National Radio Personality Tyrone DuBose. The event is promoted by USTA and ATA associate Verdell Adams; publicity by First Take PR, and Tyrone DuBose’s PR Tonya Carmouché Public Relations (TCPR); and sponsored by the SCTA.

“We definitely want people to come to the brunch, but we don’t want people not to come to the tennis because they can’t afford the brunch. We want people to try tennis!” –Ronita Elder

When: Father's Day - Sunday, June 21, 2015
Place: Catalina Jazz Club, 6725 Sunset Blvd., Hollywood, CA 90028
Time: Noon – 3:30pm
Tickets: $35 (Adults) and $25 (Children 12 and up) for Brunch.  Call (323) 466-2210 for tickets and reservations or http://www.catalinajazzclub.com

Contact Promoter Verdell Adams for more information (310) 422-5556/E: verdelladams@yahoo.com. First Take PR for media inquiries E: contact@firsttakepr.com

ABOUT

Ronita Elder, Director for Diversity and Inclusion for the Southern California Tennis Association (SCTA), has been a professional player, coach, and an advocate for “youth in tennis” for 25 years. Her mission has always been to bring the “true mind and body” sport to more diverse and inclusive populations; to schools in underserved and remote communities; to the adult staff charged to serve children; and to corporate America. She also offers elite coaching for those talented players who are totally committed to the game and whose parents are willing to support them 100%. “Becoming a top player is a process and takes hard work,” Ms. Elder admits.  “I know the health and mental benefits of tennis and believe that increased exposure and participation in the sport can create positive results for all involved.”

Andre Delano Quartet – Andre Delano’s solo career began with the 2005 release of FULL CIRCLE that catapulted him into an instant favorite amongst smooth jazz fans everywhere. The album was a mainstay on the Smoothjazz.com charts with the singles “Night Riders” that was remixed by the Grammy-nominated producer Jeff Lorber, and “Foot Steps” that featured Earth, Wind and Fire’s original guitarist Al McKay. The first track “Funkborne” was featured in a Chrysler Jeep Commercial.

Tyrone DuBose - Growing up in Cincinnati, Tyrone DuBose began his journey in entertainment by hosting a television program that began in 1985. Over a span of 15 years, DuBose garnered more awards than anyone in the history of the South Bay Producers Guild in Southern California; awards that included Producer of the Year, Talk Show of the Year, a citation from the California State Legislature and the United States House of Representatives. Tyrone’s voice is recognized on many Fortune 500 companies’ auto-addition features and movie roles on-screen. He is a voice-over actor, and an event speaker. He was a radio announcer for Las Vegas, Nevada’s KHWY FM and his own national radio program “Timeless Traxx.”

Kaylene Peoples is an award-winning record producer and chart-topping recording artist for her single “Do You Remember?” from her 2005 ALL JAZZED UP! CD. Kaylene has won many awards as a feature filmmaker and holds a bevy of Who’s Who inclusions, ranging from Cambridge Who’s Who in Music—to Stanford, Covington, and Biltmore—with her most recent inclusion in Who’s Who in Publishing and Who’s Who in Business. Kaylene Peoples is a magazine publisher and editor, a public speaker, and philanthropist with her charity Bella Composers. She recently received a Senator’s award for mentoring young women through the vehicle of her one-woman show entitled RITE OF PASSAGE; she just released her second jazz CD called MY MAN featuring jazz legends Hubert laws, Bunny Brunel, and Bobby Lyle.