MEDAL OF KINDNESS
Medal of Kindness Recipients
Dena Diorio
Dena Diorio is the County Manager of Mecklenburg County in North Carolina and has been in public service for over 36 years. One of the major projects she helped bring to fruition is the $2 million revitalization of LC Coleman Park.
Lauren Rahr
Lauren Rahr is a high school teacher and girls varsity tennis coach at Lyme Old Lyme High School in Connecticut. She was recognized for exemplifying kindness every day through her actions and impact on her students.
Reese Brantmeier
Reese Brantmeier, a collegiate tennis player at the University of North Carolina, has been raising money to restore two local tennis courts for the neighborhood surrounding the elementary school she attended in Wisconsin. Visit www.reesebrantmeierproject.com for more!
Larry Scheper
Coach Larry Scheper is a huge part of his Beaufort, South Carolina community, offering free instructional youth tennis clinics to the community and making a difference with every forehand and backhand he teaches.
Aaron Williams
Aaron Williams is the founder of the Asbury Park Tennis Initiative and works tirelessly to bring tennis to his community, most times for under-resourced youth, in the town of Asbury Park, New Jersey.
Michael Herman
Michael Herman of Fairview Park High School Tennis works to grow the game of tennis in Ohio. With the help of city council, Michael and the school hope to redo the local tennis courts and host tennis camps on brand new courts by next year!
Emma Higuchi
Emma Higuchi is the COO of Second Serve and helped launch SERVE Escondido, a free after-school tennis program serving underprivileged, minority youth in the City of Escondido.
Laura Overbeck
Laura is the program manager of the Cincy Tennis Foundation. Their NJTL program offers free and reduced-cost programming to underserved youth. For more information, visit cincinnatitennisfoundation.org or their Instagram page.
Kelman Siblings
Jordyn and Kyle Kelman, developed I’M SAFE to help kids feel included in school, in sports or doing any activity they love. For more information, visit www.imsafe.space.
Jake Nestor
Jake Nestor is a Registered Nurse at Cincinnati Children’s in the Bone Marrow Transplant Unit. The best part of his job is the patients and families he gets to meet and provide treatment to.
Tobruk Blaine
Tobruk Blaine is the Director of San Jose State University’s Beyond Spara program. In this role, she has impacted the lives of thousands of young student-athletes she mentored, providing them with the tools for creating a “championship life.”
The Kuhn Family
Mark and Denise Kuhn are the founders of the All Iowa Lawn Tennis Club and its foundation in Charles City, Iowa. The mission of the AILTC is to provide people with the “Wimbledon experience” in Iowa.
April Gift
April Gift is the Community Program Development Manager at USTA South Carolina, as well as a steadfast advocate for junior tennis locally.
Michelle Savell
Michelle Savell is the Inventory Management Lead at Thorne and a local advocate for inclusive youth athletics in her local community.
James Blake
Miami Open Tournament Director, James Blake was recognized by Madison Keys for his fervent support of cancer research since 2008, his outspoken encouragement for equality and commitment to tennis.
Larry Salas
Larry Salas has been instrumental in organizing the BNP Paribas Open Scholarship Awards Program and helped recruit ball kids for the tournament for the past decade.
Anne Wang
Anne Wang, a teacher in Ventura, California, was nominated for her perseverance during the pandemic and her ingenuity to create a safe environment for her students.
Eleanor Adams
In conjunction with the 2021 WTA Tournament in Charleston, Madison Keys chose to recognize Eleanor Adams for her kindness both on and off the court, including their leadership of the tournament’s charitable contributions.
Bob Moran
In conjunction with the 2021 WTA Tournament in Charleston, Madison Keys chose to recognize Bob Moran for his kindness both on and off the court, including their leadership of the tournament’s charitable contributions.
JP Senneff
10-year-old JP was nominated for his incredible heart and kindness to his younger brother, Ryan who has Down Syndrome. His leadership and inclusivity has created a huge ripple effect on other kids in his neighborhood.
Amani Shah
Amani is 16 and the founder of the youth-run nonprofit @secondserveclub which she started in 2019 with her younger sister Ayanna to redistribute gently used tennis equipment to less fortunate children.
Breanna White
Breanna White is a medical health care worker in Boise, Idaho who has been outside in the snow, wind and rain swabbing noses for COVID for months, in addition to her regular work in a children’s clinic.
Fritz Kremsl
A member of the Semmering FIS World Cup working crew as a construction worker for mobile infrastructure, Fritz Kremsl has been a critical part of the race staff since its beginning 25 years ago.
Leah Stoddard
Leah was recognized for her work with The Hartford’s Ability Equipped program which empowers those with disabilities to achieve amazing things by making adaptive equipment and sports more accessible.
Chelsea Phaire
10-year-old Chelsea runs Chelsea’s Charity, an organization aimed at providing art supplies to children, particularly those who have endured hardship and trauma in their young lives.
Medal of Kindness Nomination Form
The Medal of Kindness is awarded by Madison Keys as an example and appreciation for those whose personal efforts emphasize kindness to self, kindness to youth and kindness to others in times of struggle. Kindness Wins will be collecting nominations on an ongoing basis, for consideration of a medal.