Distributions from interest earned by the US Squash Junior Development Endowment Fund go towards grants to support grassroots and urban squash programs (75%) and junior national teams (25%), making the fund the perfect beneficiary of the event.
The fund, now over $650,000, with proceeds from the North American Open having added more than $150,000 since 2004, allows US Squash to provide support to new and existing programs introducing squash to juniors. Programs from across the country applied for grants in the 2006-2007 season. Among the recipients are:
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Lake Forest Squash, a public park program since 1998, which provides low cost instruction to nearly 100 junior and high school team players at the local Recreation Center in a suburb north of Chicago. With only two converted racquetball courts, they will allocate funding to convert an additional two racquetball courts to increase their capacity to serve the community.
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Kidsquash, a Harvard-based program founded in 2004, which serves dozens of local juniors every weekend. No fee is charged for squash instruction and activities and all are accepted at the Saturday morning clinic. In addition to free squash instruction, the program places an emphasis on developing a healthy lifestyle through sports. Funding will supply equipment for the participants, provide a stipend to the coaches and allow the program to grow through awareness building activities.
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The Dayton Challenge Junior Squash Program, started in 2001 and sponsored by the Miami Valley Squash Foundation, which includes over 100 middle school students from five schools. In this program that charges no fees to the schools or players, participants receive instruction as a team once a week and the program facilitates competition among the schools. Funds received will offset transportation costs to add inner-city schools to the program.
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The Atlanta Squash After-School Program which pulls together a diverse group of juniors from a range of schools in the area and provides squash instruction. The program also places an emphasis on overall fitness, flexibility and proper nutrition for all the participants. In coordination with local clubs, funds will be used to introduce squash to a broad group of middle and high school students in the area through mini-squash demonstrations at the schools.