MaliVai Washington Youth Foundation

The MaliVai (Mal-ih-vee-uh) Washington Youth Foundation (MWYF) has been providing youth development programs in Jacksonville, FL since 1997. What started as a way for pro-tennis player, Olympian and Wimbledon finalist MaliVai Washington to introduce urban youth to a sport he loved, quickly blossomed into a comprehensive after-school youth development program, Tennis-n-Tutoring (TnT). The program began at the Emmett Reed Community Center in the historically black, Durkeeville neighborhood of Jacksonville. In 2008, we opened our Youth Center and Tennis Complex after raising $3.8 million. This facility allowed us to expand our after-school programming and begin offering summer camps. In 2020, we opened our Club 904 Teen Center after raising $5 million, which gave us the opportunity to provide teens with a space of their own and increase our capacity. The mission of the MaliVai Washington Youth Foundation is to develop champions in classrooms, on tennis courts and throughout communities. Our vision is that the young people who participate in our program will be provided with the resources they need to rise to their full potential and become contributing members of society.

MWYF serves 500 low-income youth after-school and during the summer annually. Our programs provide academic assistance, life skills, tennis instruction, college and career preparation, mental health counseling, scholarships, workforce development and leadership training.