The USTA Florida Foundation, the charitable arm of the USTA Florida Section, has announced the election of Celia Rehm as the new foundation president of the organization’s board of directors.

Rehm will lead the board in its mission of “Changing Lives Through Tennis,” providing financial support through organizational grants that help Floridians of all ages improve their health and quality of life through the game of tennis.

A long-time resident of Jacksonville, Fla., Rehm is a former president of the USTA Florida Section and the founder or co-founder of two USTA Community Tennis Associations in Jacksonville — the First Coast Tennis Foundation, and the Jax Youth Tennis Foundation, of which she is president.

The USTA Florida Foundation Board of Directors is comprised of Rehm; Judy Foster, treasurer; Connor Montana, secretary; and directors Donn Davis, Karen MacFarland, and Jean Mills.

USTA Florida Foundation logo 2012“Our USTA Florida Foundation Board is made up of an outstanding group of qualified and experienced leaders, and I am humbled by your trust and confidence in me,” Rehm said in a message to the USTA Florida Foundation Board of Directors. “The commitment and dedicated effort to the work of the Foundation that I see among all board members and our executive director is not only inspirational, it is also very exciting and energizing.”

Also new to the board is Mills, a past USTA Florida Section president and current tennis director at the Spa and Tennis at Polo Club in West Palm Beach, Fla. Montana is also newly-elected to the secretary position.

It is the USTA Florida Foundation’s belief that tennis provides opportunities for healthy social, emotional, physical and educational development, and encourages peer and family participation.

“We are extremely fortunate to have Celia as our new president for the Foundation,” says USTA Florida Foundation Executive Director Linda Curtis. “Her dedication and passion for our mission will be the driving force as she leads the Foundation to new heights in the next few years.”

USTA Florida Foundation grants offer funding for youth tennis programs, adaptive tennis programs for those with special needs, community tennis programs in economically-challenged areas, along with facility assistance in the renovation, refurbishment and building of quality public tennis facilities. Since 2010, USTA Florida and the USTA Florida Foundation have awarded more than $1,000,000 in grants for tennis programs serving people of all ages and abilities throughout Florida.