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December 2021

 

Friends of CitySquash,

 

When I started working at CitySquash in 2005, the organization was just three years old and still very much in its grassroots phase. We happily hopped on whatever squash courts and classrooms were available to us at whatever times they were free, and we traveled by subway, train, and car (including an old station wagon that had to be jump-started at almost every use!) at virtually all hours of the day to meet our programming needs. With a small staff, we relied heavily on many volunteers, and took pride in doing whatever was needed to make ends meet.

 

In March 2020, much of the stability we have achieved over the past two decades disappeared. COVID-19 protocols imposed significant constraints on our ability to access facilities and we worried about our students and their families, who as low-income people of color were disproportionately affected by the pandemic. We did not want to be yet another door that closed to them amidst this challenging time. 

 

We tapped into the “whatever it takes” mentality that got us off the ground when we started, and I am inspired by all that our staff has done to make our CitySquash programming, in many ways, more robust than ever. Despite having to commute up to an hour each way to reach venues, total programming time for many of our team members has never been higher! For the first time in our history, we have academics or squash consistently taking place seven days a week, and we have expanded our offerings to include in-person professional mental health services for team members.

 

CitySquash was able to launch in 2002 because so many people believed in our mission and welcomed us into their homes and communities. In this challenging time, the same has been true. New clubs have given us court time, old partner schools have given us more classroom access, and tutors and mentors have “Zoomed” in from around the country. We have again, at all hours, taken trains and now our official CitySquash bus (that did also need a jump-start after not being used for so long) to allow our students to play squash, work on their academics, and pursue their goals. It has been reminiscent of the early days in the most beautiful way—people coming together to open doors for children who want nothing more than to walk through them. 

 

With your support, we will continue to do whatever it takes for our team members at every juncture. 

 

Happy holidays! 

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Terence Li

Executive Director

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