by Mike Sharkey
Staff Writer
Markevius Collier admits he was at one point a bit of a “rascal.” Today, he’s in college and a certified tennis instructor. And a role model, he says honestly and proudly.
Neshele Scott’s ambition and tenacity just may help her win a trip to New York this summer. She’s a senior at Lee and carrying a 4.0 grade point average. She’s going to the University of North Florida this summer and can barely remember all of the scholarships she has coming. Scott wants to get her doctorate in psychology.
Ashley Strickland was beating golf balls at Brentwood in the fourth grade when another opportunity came knocking. She graduated from UNF Dec. 14, 2007 and two days later went to work full-time.
All three have one thing in common: tennis. Specifically, the MaliVai Washington Foundation which combines the lure of tennis with the necessity of good grades, better behavior and the development of life skills.
Its founder, former professional tennis player MaliVai Washington, is quick to point out his center hasn’t grown and expanded from one classroom and 27 kids to a state-of-the-art facility that sees 150 students every day because they all want to play tennis.
Washington’s dedication to the center’s true goal — giving neighborhood kids (the center is at 6th and Payne, about half a mile from Shands Jacksonville) a safe place to go after school where they do homework, get help, develop life skills and play a little tennis — is passed on to people like Collier and Scott and Strickland.
“Class work comes first,” said Strickland, who met Washington and Foundation Executive Director Terri Florio while she was hitting golf balls at Brentwood. She soon took up tennis, made good grades, worked part-time at the center during college and is now the special events and community outreach coordinator. “If they fail in the classroom, there is no tennis. They will pitch a hissy-fit.”
Washington, who will graduate from UNF in December with a degree in finance, met with members of the local media Wednesday to offer a tour of the center and talk about its development, growth and future.
“This facility is the culmination of 7-8 years of work and planning and came out of the question: how can we grow and expand and serve more kids and do it effectively?” he said. “The neighborhood kids are the ones who need it the most.”
The answer, he said, was a partnership with the City and the Jacksonville Children’s Commission. A piece of property across from Emmett Reed Community Center was identified, remediated and the center was built. The tennis courts opened in the fall of 2007 and May 16, 2008 the building was dedicated.
Washington, who had a 10-year career and played in the finals of Wimbledon in 1996, stresses the center’s focus isn’t tennis and never will be. Rather, the center — and all of its amenities — are the vehicle for kids to improve their grades, better themselves as individuals and go on to bigger and better things.
“This is an organization that believes in quality over quantity,” he said. “There are certainly organizations in town that serve more kids. But, I’d put our programs up against anyone. We have positioned ourselves as an organization that can statistically prove where it’s going and show results. We know we are having an impact on their lives, but we want them to think beyond the boundaries of their school, their neighborhood and the center.”
Strickland didn’t just grow up in the center, she’s watched it grow as well. When she didn’t have a tennis match at Jackson High, she’d work at the center, helping kids with homework and anything else they needed.
Collier, too, grew up at the center. Today, he teaches tennis when he’s not in class at Florida State College at Jacksonville. Collier freely admits he has had his ups and downs, but has matured beyond being a “rascal” and now talks about life as easily as his forehand.
“The constant has always been the Foundation,” said Collier, who is now 21 years old. “I am dealing with the same rascals and now I am somewhat of a role model. I have taken a few of them under my wing.”
Then, there’s Scott, who knows that four-plus more months of all As and she’s New York bound — the reward for posting a 4.0 GPA. One day, she too, may return to the Foundation, with doctorate in hand, telling MaliVai the center needs her now.
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