Jacksonville Mayor, Alvin Brown Visits MWKF!

On Wednesday, February 15th, Mayor Alvin Brown stopped by our Center to speak to our TnT mayors and to take a tour of our programs. Our TnT Mayors are elected by their peers and represent their class throughout the school year. Mayor Brown stressed the importance of academic excellence during a round-table discussion with our student mayors and founder, Mal Washington. Mayor Brown also shared with our students his plans for our amazing city.

After the group discussion, he was given a tour of our programs and got a chance to meet some of our mentors. Mayor Brown also played a bit of tennis with our Student Athlete of the Year, Benzell Lang and Tatiyana Roberts.

Visit our Facebook Page for more photos from the visit and additional links!

The Leprechaun Game

It’s time for our K-2nd grade students to learn US and World Geography! From February 1-March 16, please encourage your friends, family, facebook contacts, etc to “spot the leprechaun”. The idea is that the Leprechaun will be spotted all around the USA and world until March 16th until he mysteriously appears at TnT!

All you need to do is send us a postcard from where you live. You can write a little story or just write, “The Leprechaun was here”. Mail to: LEPRECHAUN; c/o MaliVai Washington Kids Foundation , 1096 W. 6th Street, Jacksonville, FL 32209. Our goal is to have the Leprechaun visit 100 sites and cities by March 16th.

Check out the map where we’re tracking the Leprechaun! 

He’s already been spotted here:

• Puerto Rico
• British Virgin Islands
• Washington, D.C.
• Grand Canyon, AZ
• New York City, NY
• Key West, FL
• Ottawa & Ontario, Canada
• Arches National Park in Moab, UT

…and many more!

Tracking the Leprechaun!

Tags: Geography, Learning, Leprechaun, Travel, Traveling, U.S., United States

Servathon is Here!

We started our annual Servathon celebration on January 23rd and we are enjoying EVERY minute of it!  During Servathon,  all of our students and staff take time to give back to the community in a variety of service projects. Take a look at some of the activities we’ve already done and what we plan to do soon!

January 23rd-February 17th- Our entire organization will collect Pennies for Patients as part of a fundraiser for Wolfson Children’s Hospital.

January 25th- A group of  our 5th grade students helped sort and package food for the homeless at the Second Harvest Food Bank.

January 27th- Middle and high school students read to a group of Kindergarteners enrolled in St. Stephen’s Child Care & Learning Center.

January 30th- Middle and high school students prepared food for the homeless at the Sulzbacher Center.

February 6th- Kindergarten – 2nd grade students to make Valentine’s Day Cards for Mt. Hermon’s Exceptional Student Center.

February 8th- 4th grade students will volunteer at the City Rescue Mission sorting donated items for the homeless.

February 10th- 3rd & 4th Grade students will participate in a park beautification activity at the Emmett Reed Park.

February 17th- 2nd & 3rd Grade students will start a pen pal relationship with students in Accra, Ghana of the Ayalolo Cluster of Schools.

February 17th- Kindergarten, 1st & 5th grade students will write letters to Wounded Warriors.

February 22nd- 4th grade students will start a pen pal relationship with students in Accra, Ghana of the Ayalolo Cluster of Schools.

Sulzbacher Center for Homeless

 

 

 

Tags: Africa, City Rescue Mission, community service, Ghana, giving back, MaliVai Washington Kids Foundation, MWKF, students, Sulzbacher Center, volunteer, Wolfson Children's Hospital, youth

MWKF Coordinator, Jalen Thomas Reflects on her First MWKF Gala!

I thought the Gala went really well! It being my first time, I didn’t know what to expect, but I enjoyed meeting new people and being part of a historical event.  We make history with Jacksonville’s youth every day, one day at a time. The best part was seeing the smiles on the scholarship awardees faces.  It was great to see a room full of people who are all in support of the same thing-creating brighter futures for Jacksonville’s youth. I am looking forward to next year’s Gala!

$225,000 Raised Through Merrill Lynch/Bank of America Gala for MaliVai Washington Kids Foundation!

Our 15th Annual Golf & Tennis Gala was a huge success!  Through the support of our friends, volunteers and donors, we were able to raise nearly $225,000-the most we’ve ever raised during our Gala!

During the Awards Ceremony, seventeen of our extraordinary students were recognized for their accomplishments on and off the tennis court.  Congratulations to our Student Athlete of the Year, Benzell Lang! In total, over $70,000 in college scholarships were awarded.

The Dinner had a very festive feel as we were celebrating our 15 Year Anniversary. There were balloons, gifts and birthday candles decorating the Champions Ballroom of the Marriott! Cupcakes were even served for dessert! It was truly a magical scene, seeing everyone come together to support Jacksonville’s youth.

As always, the Golf & Tennis Pro-Ams were lots of fun! Watching some of our celebrities who have zero experience playing tennis is hilarious! (Imagine Major League Baseball player Desi Relaford swinging a tennis racquet!).  The Golf Pro-Am wrapped up our two-day event at Marsh Landing Country Club. Golf foursomes enjoyed a celebrity in their group and WATCH-OUT new celebrities-there’s a special surprise in store for you!

Special thanks to all of the celebrities who participated in this year’s annual gala including NBA great Sam Jones;  former Jacksonville Jaguar, Tony Brackens;  actor Chris Bruno;  comedian Kenny Kramer; former major league baseball players Sid Roberson and Desi Relaford; and tennis greats Todd Martin, Brian Gottfried, Jan-Michael Gambill, and Ricardo Acuna, among others.

All money raised during our annual Gala goes directly to our programs and services. Thank you for your support!

To view photos from the Merrill Lynch/Bank of America Gala, please visit our Facebook page or our website’s photo gallery!

Tags: Fundraiser, Gala, Golf Pro-Am, MaliVai Washington, Tennis Pro-Am

Merrill Lynch/Bank of America Golf & Tennis Gala Features Amazing Live Auction Items

The Merrill Lynch/ Bank of America Golf & Tennis Gala represents MWKF’s largest fundraising event of the year!  The two-day event is expected to be even larger as we continue the year-long celebration of our 15 Year Anniversary.

Take a look at some of our unique Live Auction items, including private tennis lessons with tennis legend Andre Agassi and his wife Stefanie (Steffi) Graf in sunny Las Vegas! Think that’s interesting? Check out our other Live Auction items here!

Special Thanks to our Live Auction Sponsor, Resonate Global!

Tags: Andre Agassi, Bank of America, Charity, Fundraiser, Gala, Graf, International Tennis Hall of Fame, Las Vegas Nevada, Live Auction, MaliVai Washington Kids Foundation, Merrill Lynch, Steffi Graf, Tennis, youth

It’s Not Too Late to Enter Into Our Official Gala Raffle!

If you have not already purchased your Raffle Ticket, there’s still time! You can support a student in our TnT after-school program AND enter into our Official Raffle to win some amazing prizes! Grand prizes include get-a-ways to the 2011 PGA Championship, or the 2011 US Tennis Open in New York City! Want to see what other cool prizes we have available? Click Here!

MWKF Student Chosen for NJTL Tennis Leadership Camp in California!

One of our students, Ta’tiyana Roberts was one of only 40 nationwide students chosen to attend the National Junior Tennis League’s 2011 Tennis Leadership Camp in Sonoma, California. The weeklong camp (July 18^th- July 24^nd)  was held on the campus of Sonoma State University and featured activities in leadership development, health & nutrition, college preparation, cultural excursions, social events and more. Campers were chosen by representatives from the United States Tennis Association(USTA) and NJTL based on coach recommendations, GPA, conduct grades and a written essay.

Ta’tiyana is an honor student and member of the National Junior Honor Society at John E. Ford K-8 School. Ta’tiyana is also a recipient of a Take Stock in Children college scholarship  and a CSX Extra Effort Award from MaliVai Washington Kids Foundation.

Congratulations, Ta’tiyana! Keep up the great work!

              

Tags: Education, Leadership development, MaliVai Washington Kids Foundation, National Junior Honor Society, National Junior Tennis League, NJTL, Sonoma State University, Tennis, United States, United States Tennis Association

Help us Send our Students Back to School with Much Needed Supplies!

If you think school supply shopping is one of the more mundane parts of gearing up for fall, how challenging would it be if you didn’t have the funds to provide them for your child? How about throwing in a few extra packs of pencils, notebook paper, folders and 1″ notebooks – all for a good cause – next time you are at the store? Throughout the year, we provide our students with even the most basic supplies they need to excel in school. The start of the new school year marks the biggest need for our kids, as what they receive from us are often the only supplies they receive. We could not do this without the help of our generous friends! If you would like to donate supplies or coordinate a supply drive among your office, friends, church or tennis team, please contact Ashley (Ashley@malwashington.com) for a list of appropriate items. Let’s start the school year off right for our amazing kids!

Don’t forget! Florida’s Tax Free Weekend is this weekend! So get ready to start saving!

Tags: Academic term, afterschool, Back to School, Child, Crayola, Education, Notebook, Pencil, school, supplies, Tax Free Weekend, United States

Camp Dynamite

Our third annual summer camp, Camp Dynamite was by far a success! Over 150 neighborhood kids came out and joined us for tennis and fun. To fill the days of camp, our campers participated in numerous activities. Each morning started off with tennis drills and lessons and each week our students enjoyed field trips, dance classes, drum lessons, special guests and arts & crafts.  Our campers were never bored! Our campers enjoyed fun field trips to the Jacksonville Zoo,  Kingsley Plantation,  Hands On Museum, and the Museum of Science and History! 

Our camp staff designed tons of activities to engage enthusiastic campers. We had a whole week of Color Wars where campers and staff were split into two teams. Red and blue battled it out in obstacle courses, games and other activites. The Red Team took the victory at the end but it was not an easy defeat!

The kids also brought in white tshirts and we had a tye dying day. The shirts turned out really well!We are sad to see the kids leave Camp Dynamite but we are excited about the 2011-2012 school year and for our  TnT afterschool program to begin!

Special thanks to all of our volunteers and chaperones who helped to make our Camp Dynamite a success!

To see pictures from our Camp Dynamite summer program, be sure to check them out on our Facebook page  here.

Tags: Camps, Kingsley Plantation, Recreation, Summer camp, Tennis, United States