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Mary Carillo lends star power to Delaware tennis benefit

Sportscaster in town to boost good cause

Article, by Martin Frank, originally appeared in the Wilmington News-Journal on May 6, 2011.

GREENVILLE -- Mary Carillo won a mixed doubles championship at the French Open, and covered all the major tennis tournaments, as well as the Olympics and other sports, as a sportscaster. But it's always the grassroots success stories that mean the most to Carillo. That's why Carillo said she was honored to serve as the keynote speaker for the Rodney Street Tennis and Tutoring Association's annual spring benefit Thursday night at the Vicmead Hunt Club.

She saw how underprivileged kids turned to Rodney Street's program to get introduced to tennis -- a sport that generally isn't accessible to them -- and to an academic tutoring program that enables them to succeed in school and beyond. So Carillo started her speech by interviewing one of the program's beneficiaries in Valinda Browne, who's a senior at Concord High School and captain of the school's tennis team.

"The focus is not just on the tennis, but the education," Carillo said. "It's about getting an education and giving them a good childhood. That's what our goal is -- producing strong, healthy, responsible kids. Sports can do a lot of things for kids. It gives them the discipline necessary, the commitment necessary, and you have to maintain your grades. It opens up your mind to other things. We try very hard to underscore the need for that."

Browne, for example, gave up basketball to focus on tennis through Rodney Street. She said the tutoring program enabled her to improve her SAT score by 300 points, and helped her in Advanced Placement classes. Browne will attend Old Dominion University in the fall on an academic scholarship, something that she might not have been able to achieve without Rodney Street's program. "I had quit basketball, so I probably would have quit tennis, too," she said. "It has helped me become a better person. I'm more confident and responsible, and it has taught me tremendous leadership skills."

The nearly 300 people in attendance enjoyed the success stories as much as Carillo. They bid on items for auction ranging from Phillies tickets to club seats at the U.S. Open semifinals to lunch with Gov. Jack Markell -- all to benefit the association.

Jane Brown Grimes, the chairwoman of Rodney Street and former president of the U.S. Tennis Association, has seen this success firsthand.  She said 65 percent of minority children in Wilmington drop out of school.  But the Rodney Street kids have a 99 percent graduation rate over the past five years. “Wilmington is a tough, tough place,” Brown Grimes said.  “But this gives them a lot of life skills.  They get self-worth and confidence.  You combine the tennis aspect with the tutoring, and it gives them a very powerful tool in life.”

The program, founded in 1979, first for tennis only, has a structured tutoring program that goes from 4 until 8 p.m. Monday through Thursday.  The program works closely with families, schools, teachers and counselors to ensure success.  Carillo saw this earlier Thursday, when she took a tour of the facility and met with the academic and tennis director. “It’s inspiring,” Carillo said.  “They have tutors available every night in every subject.  They check the kids’ report cards.  They really stay on top of them.  And then you see the pictures they have on the walls of happy, smiling kids playing tennis.  It’s really a great thing to see.”

Carillo had the crowd in stitches as she recounted stories about growing up with John McEnroe, who lived near her in New York, and his famous temper.  They won the mixed doubles championship at the French Open in 1977, when Carillo was 20 and McEnroe was 17 and still an amateur. “It was John’s first Grand Slam title and my last,” Carillo said with a laugh.

Since then, they have both given back to the sport that meant so much to them.  In addition to broadcasting the major tournaments – Carillo is leaving in a few weeks for the French Open – Carillo is also the president of USTA Serves, the charitable foundation of the USTA.
The association helps fund Rodney Street and other programs around the country. “Tennis is the carrot,” Carillo said.  “Anything you can do to grow the sport and get tennis racquets in the hands of young kids is tremendous.  But the real benefit is getting the kids to grow as human beings. That’s what we’re striving for.”