Aloha members and friends,

Ron Romano Executive Director — Ron Romano
Executive Director

I hope you are well. I would like to give you an update on the USTA Hawaii Pacific Inc. First, as you can tell by the name change, we have changed our name from USTA Hawaii Pacific Section to USTA Hawaii Pacific Inc. The name change was the result of our application to the IRS to become a 501(c)(3) charitable organization. Our 501(c)(3) application was approved by the IRS on June 7, 2019. As it relates to fundraising, there are three differences from our previous 501(c)(4) status:

We are tax-exempt.
We can apply for grants that require the organization to be a 501(c)(3).
Donors can receive a tax deduction for their donations.

Second, we are looking for land to build our own tennis facility / community center. In addition to tennis, we envision a community center for afterschool programs including volleyball, basketball, tutoring and possibly pickleball. With the loss of tennis courts in Hawaii and the increased competition for tennis court time, we believe that we must build new tennis courts in order to grow. As an example, to build a twelve-court tennis facility with a small building and a parking lot, we would need about five acres of land. We are talking to the City, State, developers and others.

Third, our new website (www.ustahawaii.com) is easy to find and easy to navigate. This will be a one-stop, single source of information on juniors, adults, schools, events, information about the USTA and more.

Thank you for being USTA members and thank you for your support of tennis. Please contact me if I can assist you with anything at 808-585-9526 or romano@hawaii.usta.com.

Kind regards,
Ron Romano

Executive Director's Message