A Message
from Our Chief Executive Officer: Cora Masters Barry
 I
founded the Recreation Wish List Committee more than
a decade ago, and worked to create the Southeast
Tennis and Learning Center in the heart of the
District of Columbia’s Ward 8 community because it
has always been my
strong belief that if our youth are to succeed, we
must offer new challenges beyond the competition of
the television and the corner.
The need for organized recreation programs is
paramount in our city. Our youth need a combination
of academic and cultural enrichment programs to give
children who attend our programs a chance to thrive
and excel. With the assistance and cooperation of
so many in our community, the Southeast Tennis and
Learning Center has been successful in fulfilling
these needs.
Where once stood a single, rutted tennis court that
lacked even a net, we now have a facility featuring
indoor and outdoor courts, an educational center
complete with library and computer lab, and a host
of people dedicated to working with children and
youth.
Since the opening of the
Southeast Tennis and Learning Center in 2001, we
have helped thousands of children grow in body, mind
and spirit – including the beautiful children
gracing this website. We’ve also seen a neighborhood
transformed. Parents have become more involved in
their children’s educati on. And with the success
of the Center, other high-quality educational,
artistic and recreational opportunities began to
flow east of the Anacostia River, opening up still
more opportunities to youth living in Ward 8.
Across the city, many other children and
neighborhoods have benefited from RWLC-supported
community projects,
ranging from building playgrounds to renovating
recreation centers. This could not have happened
without the involvement of many who are committed to
ensuring that opportunities abound not just for a
select few, but for all.
The Recreation Wish List Committee is working to
sustain programs at the Center and to reach further
into the community to involve more people in our
programs and services. We have a dedicated staff and
committed board that will continue to raise the bar
for the children in Southeast Washington , DC, and
all wards of the city that need a capital investment
in children.
We hope you will continue to support us in our
journey of creating safe places for children to
grow.
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