AWARDS & HONORS

2020:  USTA NC "Diversity Outreach & Inclusion Award"

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2020:  StarNews Media LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD - Lenny Simpson

 

2020:  St. Stephens AME Zion Church "Trailblazer's Award"

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2020: New Zion Missionary Baptist Church "Service To The Community" Plaque
 

2020:  Southern Tennis Hall of Fame Inductee - Lenny Simpson

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2020:  National Black Professional Athlete Foundation awards Lenny Simpson       
           with "Business & Community All Star" award

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2020 Honors

• Historic Wilmington Foundation presents a historic plaque for the home at 1406 Orange Street

• Citi Taste of Tennis live cooking show selects One Love for December 15th holiday episode

• One Love kid, Luca Duma, wins USTA Foundation National Essay Contest for NC 10U

• CBS shows "Althea & Arthur" featuring One Love during "Portraits in Black" special program

• One Love received a "spotlight" in the USTA Southern “Talking Tennis Southern Style” October podcast

• Faith Driven Athlete published a blog entitled “What Took You So Long, Champ?” telling the story of Lenny meeting Althea Gibson at age 5

• One Love kid, Gabriel Baldwin, was chosen by Fila as a "Standout of the Week"

• Spectrum News featured One Love with kids from the YMCA in “Barrier Breaking Tennis Player Gives Back”

• One Love was featured on Tennis Channel Live: “Game Changer - Althea Gibson’s Broad Impact Across The Globe In Sports”

• Commission On African-American History announced they will place a street-side marker in front of the home at 1406 Orange Street

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2019:  USTA NC Carlton T Harris Professional of the Year

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2019:  "Service Above Self" Award presented by D.A. Ben David

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2019:  USTA "50 For 50" - NJTL's top 50 influential people list

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2019:  Winner of USTA National NJTL Founder's Service Award (The Arthur Ashe Award)

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2019 Honors from the USTA

• Selected from over 300 NJTL chapters to appear at the 2019 US Open on Center Court inside Arthur Ashe Stadium for a skills demonstration just before the opening Men's and Women's matches.

• Selected to perform the ceremonial coin flip between opponents before the match.  We were given two coin flips!

• Front row seats to the Althea Gibson Statue unveiling ceremony on Monday, August 26, 2019.

• Invited by the USTA to sit in the President's Suite during Arthur Ashe Kids Day Celebration inside Arthur Ashe Stadium.

• Invited by USTA to 2019 Fed Cup to perform skills demonstrations before the matches.

• Invited by USTA to escort both American and Netherlands Fed Cup team members onto the court for opening ceremonies.

 

2018:  Winner of USTA Southern Educational Merit Award

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​2018:  Winner of USTA NC Educational Merit Award

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2018 Honors from the USTA:  

• Selected from over 300 NJTL chapters to appear at the 2018 US Open on Court 17 "The Backyard" for a skills demonstration just before the opening Men's match.

• Selected to perform the ceremonial coin flip between opponents before the match.

• Invited by the USTA to sit in the President's Suite during Arthur Ashe Kids Day Celebration inside Arthur Ashe Stadium.

• Invited by USTA to 2018 Fed Cup to perform skills demonstrations before the matches.

• Invited by USTA to escort both American and Australian Fed Cup team members onto the court for opening ceremonies.

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2017:  Winner of USTA Southern Merilyn Sherman "Spirit of the Game" Award

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2017 Honors from the USTA:  

• Invited by the USTA to sit in the President's Suite during Arthur Ashe Kids Day Celebration inside Arthur Ashe Stadium.

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2017:  Winner of USTA NC NJTL Chapter Of The Year

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Note:  USTA NC is the State of North Carolina.  
          USTA Southern is a 9-state region including Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi,
          North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee.