Today we’d like to introduce you to Grahamm Kellogg.
Hi Grahamm, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
It was the first summer of COVID, and I was furloughed from my job at the time. InnerCity Tennis was hiring coaches to help support their socially distanced learning pods at the tennis center, and I excitedly jumped at the opportunity and joined their team. We would safely teach tennis and then assist our students with their schooling and homework. It was a great opportunity for me to not only continue my tennis teaching career but also make an immediate impact on the current state of the world and education. Throughout the following years, I became a full-time Tennis Teaching Professional inside the tennis center and supported our Community Programming initiatives, in-school and after-school, as a coach. Much of this experience navigating many different program offerings at InnerCity Tennis has ultimately brought me to today as the Community Programs Manager.
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
The road has not always been smooth, but it has always been rewarding. In the beginning of my time at InnerCity Tennis, we were forced to navigate COVID and all the logistical concerns it brought with it. Luckily, tennis was already quite socially distanced as a sport.
Funding, while less of a struggle but still a constant emphasis, is at the forefront of everything that we are capable of offering as a nonprofit organization.
Communication and information sharing can bring different challenges. For example, ever-changing ways of information consumption force us to adapt our strategies in order to bring new families to our programming. Furthermore, inter-agency hierarchies can block the flow of information sharing and efficient communication.
Great, so let’s talk business. Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
InnerCity Tennis is both a nonprofit organization and a public tennis center located at 4005 Nicollet Ave South in Minneapolis, MN 55409. We are classified as a National Junior Tennis & Learning (NJTL) organization and are funded in part by the USTA Foundation. We offer a wide array of tennis services, both free and fee-based, inside and outside of our tennis center, with scholarships available for many of our youth players and their families.
At InnerCity Tennis, our mission is to develop and unleash the potential of youth on and off the tennis court by engaging and serving a supportive community. We serve this mission by focusing on our seven core values: enthusiasm, integrity, perseverance, responsibility, respect, service, and teamwork.
Sport is an incredible vessel to affect change in very big ways. Connection is key, and when we connect over a shared love of sport, we begin to uncover that we are not so different after all. Through partnerships with MPS Schools, the Minneapolis Parks and Recreation Board, and other community organizations, we do exactly that.
Throughout the school year, we go into schools to provide tennis programming as part of students’ gym classes. After-school programming is focused more on mentoring and tutoring. For example, we led a group at Bryn Mawr Elementary, where we would assist with homework before having tennis lessons with the kids in the gym. We also offer leadership programming at a rented site in North Minneapolis and on-site at several middle schools.
On select weekends, we host Super Saturdays, where youth ages 3–18 can participate in fun, age-appropriate tennis games and activities for free at our tennis center. During the summer months, our long-standing Summer Tennis in the Parks programming has taken place at 25 Minneapolis parks. Not only are we providing 1000 youth with the opportunity to play tennis in a local park near them, but we are also providing many Minneapolis youth with their first employment opportunity.
Tennis is an amazing sport, but we also believe it is a powerful vessel for creating meaningful change on the court and in the classroom.
We have an amazing group of certified teaching professionals at the tennis center, dedicated to providing high-quality tennis drills as well as leagues for our adult patrons and community members. Our offerings range from beginner adult classes to advanced drills and leagues for experienced players.
Is there a quality that you most attribute to your success?
Adaptability. We live in an ever-changing world. We will always stay true to our seven core values, but in order to continue providing quality programming, we must be willing to adapt to new obstacles.
Pricing:
- In-School and After-School Programming: FREE
- Leadership Programming: FREE
- Super Saturdays: FREE
- Summer Tennis in the Parks: $50/Week | $250/Full Summer Scholarships provided. The program is offered for 6 weeks.
- Cities Academy Tennis (Youth) + Adult Tennis (Leagues, Drills, Lessons) Can all be viewed on our website!
Contact Info:
- Website: https://innercitytennis.org/
- Instagram: innercitytennis
- Facebook: InnerCity Tennis
- Other: Stories of Impact: https://innercitytennis.org/impact/
