It was the second part of a fundraiser, that six tennis pros, six Grassroots players, and 12 local tennis players competed in where the 12 guests partnered with a Grassroots player or a Tennis Pro.

Kristian Larson, Angelica Mattschei, Marc Castellana, and Akash Lamba, all exceptional players and teaching pros at RAC, volunteered their time to play, as did Rory Capener, another highly regarded player and teaching pro, at the Armonk Tennis Club in New York and Jeff Landau, a former professional player. Lauren Dalton and Jason DiStasio, both teaching pros for the Danbury Grassroots Program also participated.

The six Grassroots tennis players included Alan Webb and Alberto Marine from Danbury, and Dimitri Mezidor, Fred Mezidor, Antonio Passerelle, Dante Paulk, and Jonathan Young from Norwalk.

Local tennis players, Kelsey Brazill, Rachel Janasek, Soichi Hirokawa, Barbara Morris, Dr. Dave Pazer, Michael Geltzeiler, Suzanne Burrell, and Peter Canale of Ridgefield, Jeff Morris and Janet Olshansky from New York, and Bob Elliot of Sandy Hook, all earned the right to play by donating money to the Danbury Grassroots Tennis Program.

Andy Bodner, the owner of RAC, donated the court time at RAC for the tournament.

DANBURY –”You’ve almost got it. Just keep focused on the ball and follow through,” Jason DiStasio advised one of his students after she hustled to attempt a difficult save.

Her peers stood behind the line eagerly waiting their turns.

Each Monday through Thursday for the last four summers, the nonprofit organization Danbury Grassroots Tennis has brought dozens of area youths to the courts at Rogers Park to teach them valuable life lessons through the game of tennis.

On Tuesday, the participants and instructors braved oppressive humidity to practice their skills in the game they’ve come to know and love.

Danbury Grassroots Tennis is aimed at providing a safe, educational, and healthy environment for 8- to 18-year-olds, many of whom come from adverse backgrounds. All participants must be from Danbury and maintain a 2.0 grade point average while in school.

DANBURY — Tennis used to be a sport for the elite, played on private courts, wearing regulation white clothing. An exclusionary thing.

Since 2006 in Danbury, however, middle and high school students from low-income families of all races and ethnicities have been learning to play tennis in a free program started by Brookfield resident Carl Bailey.

Bailey, 58, who grew up in Danbury and owns a financial planning firm, aimed for kids who otherwise might not be exposed to tennis to gain the confidence inherent in the sport.

“The critical part of a child’s development, regardless of what you’re doing, is self-esteem. It drives all of us to be productive,” he said.

DANBURY, CT – Danbury Grassroots Tennis is teaching the city’s youth about the game of tennis and much more, but it’s also in the learning business.

Since its inception in 2006, DGT has evolved into an organization that improves several aspects of a child’s life, including confidence-building, physical fitness, nutrition and education.

Director Lauren Dalton has quite literally visited with and talked to difference-makers from across the country to exchange ideas and best practices.

The results have been outstanding for the USTA New England-affiliated Community Tennis Association.

“In our programs, we encourage kids to always be on the move, to be physically active and we teach them about proper nutrition,” Dalton said. “We’re fortunate enough to have great volunteers and partners in the area to help with that.”

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