Beyond the Court: How Laureus and MTEF Are Transforming Illinois Communities Through Sport

This week, coaches, community leaders, and youth development advocates from across Illinois gathered in Springfield for the inaugural Advocacy Day. Organizations serving communities from Chicago’s South Side to rural Illinois stood together with one unified message: sport changes lives. For more than 34 years, partners like Love To Serve and the Central Illinois Tennis Association have worked alongside the USTA Midwest Tennis & Education Foundation (MTEF) to create safe spaces, build leadership, and provide young people access to opportunity through tennis and education programming.

Through the support of Laureus Sport for Good USA, MTEF has been able to significantly expand this impact across the state. By serving as a critical intermediary for grassroots organizations, we have helped activate over 20 community sites and serve more than 15,000 youth. With over $474,000 invested through 2025, MTEF continues to bridge cultural divides and provide equitable opportunities for marginalized groups, including youth in R3 zones, those with disabilities, and LGBTQ youth.

Hearing these success stories shared directly with State Representatives and Senators was powerful and deeply personal. We saw firsthand how sport is used as an intentional tool for violence prevention, mentorship, and social-emotional learning. This work is about much more than tennis; it is about building confidence, resilience, and hope in the next generation of leaders.

We are deeply grateful to every coach, partner, including Lori James and the team from Love to Serve, and Sonthana Thongsithavong from the Central Illinois Tennis Association, and advocate who shared their voice in Springfield. Together, we are building stronger communities, one child, one court, and one conversation at a time.