Thank you to all who joined us to celebrate our 20th Anniversary at the CommUNITY Gala in downtown St. Paul on Saturday, October 8!

IF YOU MISSED THE EVENT, you can still participate by clicking on the donate button to make a monetary donation.

Donate Here

Meet our Stars of The Evening!

Host and emcee

Clay Sollenberger- You know him, you obviously love him, and we are so lucky to have him as part of our family for over 15 years now. Coach Clay started working here in 2008 and has developed a passion for teaching tennis to students of all ages. Currently, Clay works primarily with adult players and has been our in-house emcee/director of festivities for so many events over the years. When he is not on court, you can find him rocking out with his son, Luke, and listening to the Beatles.

Legends of The Fort

Jo Batty-George-
Jo volunteered every Tuesday and Thursday night and scheduled her vacations around these days. Jo spent plenty of time on court with the beginner players and that court would have the most laughter. However, her real super power was off court in girls’ circle where she listened to all of the girls and was available to help girls navigate the bumpy journey through middle and high school. Jo also volunteered as a coach for Southwest High School and Washburn High School in Minneapolis. During all of this, Jo was a full-time nurse practitioner and would volunteer medical work at local clinics. She passed away this February but will always be known for her huge heart and ability to always find time for anyone that needed support.

Jeanne Lacy-
Jeanne started with Girl Squad in 2005 and as an artist, she probably noticed our craft skills were lacking. She offered to create and lead the craft activities and that was a true game changer. Her crafts were amazing and challenging, but they were not frustrating. Her projects allowed us to have time to converse and sometimes she was the leader of those discussions too. She introduced us to modge podge, paint pens, advanced card making, and decorations for all our journals, spoons, rocks, and so much more. Jeanne was our Crafty Youth Mentor as her daughter Rasheeda journeyed from being a freshman tennis player to being a senior tennis captain. She stayed with us as her younger daughter, Milliecia, went from middle school to senior tennis captain too. Our staff, coaches and players are so lucky for her work with Girls Squad!

Linda Langeness-
Linda began working for Fred Wells in 1968 at his family-owned business, the Peavey Company. She served on the Board of Directors of Tennis & Education, Inc. from 2001-2009. At the Fred Wells Tennis & Education Center, Linda was the Business Manager from 2002-2013. She did everything behind the scenes to keep the lights on and ensure Fred's vision stayed a reality. Any story that we hear from the days of when this facility was a blue print and just an idea jotted down on yellow-lined paper, Linda was right there to move things forward. She continued working for Fred in various job positions until his passing in 2005. Since 1992, Linda has worked for the Wells Family Foundation. She is extremely humble and gracious, and so deserving of this award. In her free time, you can find Linda with her two grandsons who keep her on her toes!

Susie Neet-
Susie is a native of Minneapolis and has volunteered for over 30 years in our tennis community. Any community tennis happenings in the area, Susie was involved. She was our very first volunteer back in 2003 with Girls Squad and the after-school programs for at-risk kids from local schools. Susie spent 34 years as a grade-school teacher and retired in 2002. However, this did not stop her work on court. She directed over 200 volunteers each year as the coordinator for the USTA Northern Women's Professional $50K tournament from 1999-2007. In 2013, she was inducted into the USTA Northern Hall of Fame. Susie's personality, spirit, and wisdom has influenced so many. The very first volunteer lays the foundation for years to come, and 20 years later, we are so proud to have her officially join our legendary group of community members.

Dan Shannon-
Dan has an extensive playing and teaching background in Minnesota that began in the mid 70’s. After teaching at numerous local country clubs and coaching the Orono High School Tennis Teams, he served as Vice President of Tennis and Education, Inc (our legal name) from 1996-2002 and the very first Executive Director from 2002-2006. Dan stayed involved with the organization as a Board Chair until 2009 and a Board Member until 2014. He continued impacting lives in the Twin Cities by joining the Advisory Board and Player Liaison of the Pine Tree Apple Tennis Classic Tournament. Dan was a teaching professional at Lifetime Eden Prairie from 2008 until his retirement in 2020. He now lives in Hayward, Wisconsin with his wife, and they enjoy family ski trips back to Montana. *Dan will also be our Keynote Speaker!!!

Alumni Speakers

Charles Miller-
Charles started with our after-school program in 3rd grade and went on to captain his high school tennis team at Minneapolis South and then club tennis at Gustavus Adolphus. He graduated in May with a Bachelors in Geology and plans to get a Masters in Geology to learn about ravine erosion and how we can reduce sediment build up in the Minnesota River. His hobbies include cooking, working out, reading, and collecting rocks.

Sophia Youngdahl-
Sophia began playing tennis with us in 5th grade and served on our Youth Advisory Board (YAB) for five years and played high school tennis at Burnsville. Currently, Sophia is a sophomore at the University of Minnesota in an accelerated program studying Computer Science and Philosophy. She enjoys running, listening to music, trying new restaurants, and sourcing deals for a student run venture firm at school.

TENNISWORKS SPEAKERS

Leo Cazales Pelaez-
Leo is an 8th grader at Anderson Middle School and has played with us for 5 years through TennisWorks and Junior Program. He loves to play any and all sports, especially soccer. Leo enjoys napping, playing guitar, and finding the coolest sweatshirts. He played Varsity High School Tennis for South as a 7th grader and volunteered with our TennisWorks Academy this summer!

Isaac Lower-
Isaac is a junior player in our High Performance 1 program and is a junior at Edina High School. He started playing here when he was 8 at our Summer Camp and knew it was the place for him. Isaac spent his summer volunteering with our TennisWorks Academy for a total of 125 hours! He is an avid Minnesota sports fan, active in his synagogue, and enjoys spending time with his friends and brother.