A new academic and athletic complex for at-risk youth in the Los Angeles area has received funding from Tiger Woods’ TGR Foundation, the United States Tennis Association, The Walt Disney Company, and investor Doug Kimmelman.
The group has committed $50 million to building The Carol Kimmelman Athletic and Academic Campus, an 87-acre facility in Carson, Calif. for educational enrichment and athletics programs aimed at “fostering social equity.”
The first phase of construction is scheduled to begin by the end of 2020 and is estimated to cost $65 million. It will include a 25,000-square-foot learning center and 40 tennis courts.
According to the announcement, the Kimmelman Campus will be the largest community tennis facility on the West Coast, and will also serve as the headquarters for USTA’s Southern California Section.
The TGR and USTA Foundations will handle youth programming, including after-school and enrichment STEM programs, which will be offered at little or no cost to low-income families.
“The need to invest in the futures of underserved kids has never felt more urgent,” Woods said. “We have a unique opportunity to do something impactful right now that will create lasting positive change for generations.”
The project has already been approved to start development by the county’s board of supervisors. The land is being made available through a long-term $100 per year lease.
The campus will increase outdoor green space in Carson by 61%. Forthcoming phases of the project will include several full-size soccer fields and other athletic facilities, including basketball courts, track and field, and fitness and play areas for community use.
The project has received $5 million in in-kind gifts and funding to coverly yearly operating expenses alongside the $50 million already raised. In addition to the $15 million it still needs for phase one, the remaining phases will cost $60 million.
Carol Kimmelman taught at Raymond Avenue Elementary School, located in the heart of the 1992 Los Angeles Riots in South LA. She was a member of the 1983 national champion USC women’s tennis team and a “fervent believer in the power of tennis and other sports to transform the lives of young people from all backgrounds.”
“At a time when we’re having an important national conversation about deep-seated inequities and a history of underinvestment in communities of color, we have a project that is ready to give underserved children the quality education, resources and opportunities they need to prepare for college and life,” Doug Kimmelman said.
