Community Star Of Queens Bill Briggs

Job: I am the director and founder of Youth & Tennis Incorporated, a year round program that teaches tennis to kids between 4 and 18 years of age.
Hobbies/Affiliations: The program is a passionate commitment and I spend most of my time trying to advance it and make it effective for the kids. It is more than a full time job because we are dedicated to making the program as successful as we can.
Favorite Memory: We had a youngster who was very difficult to teach. She had difficulty picking up sports but we persisted and eventually she learned. She ended up getting offered a scholarship to college. She moved to St. Thomas and started a youth tennis program there for young girls. She told me that her inspiration for starting the program was her involvement with the Youth & Tennis program.
Rewards of the Job: I think we are all here to do something positive and this has provided that avenue for me. This is an area I had expertise in and I really feel I help the kids build character and become strong people. The kids are involved with my program and doing positive things rather than hanging out on the street and doing negative things.
Biggest Gripe: Sometimes people do not understand the value of supporting the program. They don't see the depth of commitment, the value and meaning behind the program. We need more people to support us.