Ryan and Leslie Segelke Win Denver Afterschool Alliance Award

We have exciting news! Ryan and Leslie Segelke both won a Resource and Sustainability Champion Award through the Denver Afterschool Alliance. They were chosen for this award for “their dedication to allocating resources with consistency and equity and for developing sustainable practices that guarantee programs that are capable of providing services to students and families.” We are so proud of them, and they will be recognized at the Allstar Afterschool Professionals Award Luncheon on May 1.

Ryan and Leslie founded High Altitude Tennis in 2009, and The HAT Fund in 2015 to assist under-served aspiring young student athletes to ensure they have the opportunities, guidance, and tools needed to flourish on and off the court. High Altitude Tennis partners with The HAT Fund to host summer camps, after-school programming, and provide tennis instruction to a partner program in Kampala, Uganda. To date, more than 350 students have participated in group and individual lessons, more than 150 students have participated in summer camp, more than 100 students have participated in after-school enrichment, and more than 100 students and coaches have participated in Uganda.

High Altitude Tennis and The HAT Fund have grown immensely over the years. The HAT Fund has been able to offer over $100,000 in scholarships annually to aspiring tennis players with financial need. Additionally, Ryan and Leslie provide pro-bono services, working to grow The HAT Fund and develop high quality players by working pro-bono for countless hours each year (valued at over $30,000 per year).

Ryan received this award for his dedication to creating partnerships between the community, not only between High Altitude Tennis and The HAT Fund, but also with Denver Public Schools and Metropolitan State University of Denver. Leslie is being recognized for her commitment to make tennis programming accessible to all youth - regardless of their financial status. Her idea to spread programming to Uganda came to fruition in 2016. Through generosity and fundraising, herself, along with other HAT Fund staff were able to go to Uganda to host coaching workshops for coaches, provide long-term support for students in Uganda to continue to learn tennis, and provide rackets and funding for students. You can learn more about the Uganda program through the HAT Fund here.

Ryan and Leslie are so excited about this award, but especially want to thank YOU - HAT parents, participants, supporters, friends, and staff. The best part of their work so far has been working with all of you, and they are excited for the work to be done in the future!