A's & Aces is a 501 (c) 3 nonprofit organization founded in 2008 with a mission to provide academic assistance, life skills and tennis to New Orleans public school children.  Our sport-based youth development model is used to engage and retain under-served youth and others who have lacked access to high-quality academic assistance and tennis, with a goal of helping them succeed on a path to college and beyond. 
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  Latest News
                2008-2018
A's & Aces was incorporated as a nonprofit in January 2008, holding its first event that May at Tulane's Goldring Tennis Center.
A's & Aces named 
TennisIndustry    
National Junior Tennis & Learning  2017 Organization of the Year
A's & Aces was honored as 2017 National Junior Tennis & Learning Organization of the Year by Tennis Industry  magazine. The publication’s January 2018 issue  is the magazine’s 17th annual “Champions of Tennis Awards,” which honors people, businesses and organizations dedicated to improving the sport and business of tennis. The Award was presented at a banquet held at the Hyatt Regency New Orleans ballroom. Click here to read the article about A's & Aces in Tennis Industry, on p.37.
If you are an Amazon Shopper, you can select A's & Aces and AmazonSmile Foundation will donate to help our kids every time you shop!!
 AmazonSmile is a simple and automatic way for you to help support A's & Aces every time you shop, at no cost to you. AmazonSmile is a website operated by Amazon that lets customers enjoy the same experience of shopping on Amazon.com—but the difference is that when customers shop on AmazonSmile (smile.amazon.com,) the AmazonSmile Foundation will donate 0.5% of the price of your purchases to the charitable organization you select. 
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Click here to learn how easy it is to select A's & Aces and help put smiles on our kids' faces!
Second Serve Tennis Center maintains a "drop box" where anyone can donate new or used shoes that will  be given to deserving A's & Aces student-athletes.
              PARENTS - LEARN MORE ABOUT TENNIS
Getting good at tennis takes practice. It means mastering the basics and finding your own style. The USTA Player Development videos are a great way for parents to learn many of the skills that we are teaching the children. Interested to learn? Check out our "Parent Training Info" page.
​ Professional Photos Donated by Momenta
THANK you, "Momenta Project 2018", for donating professional services to help tell our story through photos. 
​Click here to view these photos on our PHOTO GALLERY page.

Featured Sponsor

THANKS to JPMorgan CHASE 
for a GREAT 2018 RETURNTHESERVE
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Click this photo to view a slideshow
As part of the JPMorgan Chase & Co. (Chase) commitment to the communities in which they serve, Chase  provided $150,000 across ten key markets to local youth tennis and education programs. A’s & Aces is a beneficiary of this donation, and received a $15,000 grant to increase programming and provide more youth the opportunity to learn and grow from the sport. 

​The New Orleans 2018 Chase RETURNTHESERVE event was held July 13 at Joe Brown Park for our 10 & Under campers who enjoyed many fun tennis and learning activities. Click here to view more photos of the event on our Photo Gallery page.
​10th Anniversary Clinics & Party:
"GRAND SLAM " Successes!
On November 7th Mats Wilander, former world #1 and 8 x Grand Slam Champion,  and his assistant, Cameron Lickle, hosted 4 one-hour adult tennis clinics for a total of 32 players on the Hilton indoor courts. A special 5th clinic was held for 8 A's & Aces student-athletes. The clinics were offered at $500/player and all sessions were sold out! 
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Elizabeth & Steve Brinson and Kathryn & Jeff Scurlock hosted an incredible party for 200+ attendees that evening at the Brinson's Metairie Club Estates home.  Great friends, food, drink, music and a live auction conducted by USTA VP, Mike McNulty, and  motivating remarks by Mats Wilander, highlighted the evening.
Holiday Shopping is available through our online auction! To check out many great items available at terrific bargains click:  https://thompson-auctions.net/aces/tickets​  
For more information, contact us at J.Ransom@AsAndAces.org ​
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Mats Wilander, former world #1 and 8 x Grand Slam Champion
EVENT SPONSORS INCLUDE
NOLA (A's & Aces - NORD) Fall Jr Open Tournament Held Sept. 8-9
Sixty-four players from from across Southern Louisiana and Mississippi competed in the NOLA Fall Jr Open, a USTA, SOUTHERN and LOUISIANA Level 5 sanctioned tournament Sept  8-9 at NORD's Joe Brown Park Tennis Center. The tournament hosted boys and girls in 8's, 10's, 12's, 14's and 16's age divisions.

The following eight A’s & Aces participants won either first or second place trophies in their singles divisions!
BOYS:
Cody Martinez finished 2nd in the Boys’ 10s - GREEN ball
Dillan LaFrance won the Boys' 10 - ORANGE ball I
Freddy Broussard won the Boys' 10  - ORANGE  ball II
Cahren Cotton - 2nd in the Boys’ 10s - ORANGE  ball II
Gabriel Pizzolatto - runner-up trophy in the Boys’ 14s
Nicholas Crockens - runner-up in the Boys’ 16s
GIRLS:
Eadan Waters - won the Girls’ 10s GREEN Ball 
Ava Waller won the Girls’ 14s 
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​Click here to view all tournament results.
The A's & Aces 10 & Under Excellence Team (“Team McNulty”) traveled to College Park, MD on July 26-29 to compete and learn with 11 other USTA National Junior Tennis & Learning teams selected from across the country. Competitions featured matches, a Relay Race, and academic activities (essay contest, spelling bees and a monuments quiz). In tennis A's & Aces defeated Chicago and Dallas, while losing closely to two NYC teams (#4 Harlem & #5 Bronx) and #3 Boston. Our team finished 8th overall, with all A's & Aces attendees representing the organization well!  The A's & Aces Team placed 2nd in Sportsmanship, and Teah was recognized for the top Essay! 

Activities for coaches and parents included Coaching Education and Parent Sessions presented by USTA coaches and other experts (including Navigating the Junior Tennis Pathway, Compete like a Champion Parent), sightseeing/monument tour, and attending a Professional Team Tennis match (Philadelphia Freedoms at Washington Kastles).

This is the third consecutive year that A’s & Aces has been selected to participate in this USTA Foundation sponsored event. Other 2018 teams were from: Las Vegas, Laurel, Philadelphia,  Minneapolis, Atlanta,  College Park, MD, and Dorchester, MA.
3 A's & Aces Boys Attended the July
​2018 Regional NJTL Tennis & Leadership Camp
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Bryce, Chris & James at Samford University
​The 2018 Regional NJTL Tennis & Leadership Camp was held in Birmingham, AL (July 19-22, 2018) at Samford University. Eight Southern section NJTL chapters with 3 student-athletes spent 4 days at Samford University.  The experience included tennis (drills and shootouts), team-building activities, a guided field trip to Sloss Furnace (the only blast furnace in the U.S. to be designated a National Historic Landmark), Community Service Leadership Exercises, a Civil Rights Museum/16th Street Baptist Church Guided Tour, and a UAB field trip that included swimming and other activities.  Special thanks to the STA for making this event possible!
Two A's & Aces-NORD USTA-Sanctioned  Summer Tournaments
This summer A's & Aces hosted two USTA tournaments to provide many of our younger campers with competitive opportunities.  Both events were dominated by our players, earning ranking points and gaining valuable experience.  About 50 players competed in each tournament, in divisions 8's-12's. 

 USTA NJTL 2012-13 National "Chapter of the Year"

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Among over 600 NJTL chapter organizations across the country, the United States Tennis Association honored A's & Aces as the National Junior Tennis & Learning "Chapter of the Year" for  2012-13
and produced the video below as part of the award.​ ( Click the photo below  to play the video.)

                    Tennis                                   Life Skills                                      Academics

Some may, initially, think that tennis is "just a game" and is the least important component of A's & Aces' tripartite mission. Actually, tennis is the key.  It unlocks barriers. Sports-Based Youth Development is recognized as an unparalleled way to engage underserved, disadvantaged, and minority populations. While character developing life-skills and academic support are critical to having successful, productive lives, the sport of tennis also provides the ability to build social, academic and career networks through playing a fun, life-long, global, non-contact, co-ed, team and individual sport.  This provides incredible benefits to our participants - and for society. 

“Sport has the power to change the world. It has the power to inspire. It has the power to unite people in a way that little else does. It speaks to youth in a language they understand. Sport can create hope where once there was only despair. It is more powerful than government in breaking down racial barriers. It laughs in the face of all kinds of discrimination.”
​ – Nelson Mandela, May 25, 2000