50th Anniversary Gala - September 21, 2025

We Did It! Thank You for Making Our Gala a Huge Success!

Professional photos coming soon

On Sunday, September 21, 2025, supporters, community leaders, and tennis enthusiasts gathered at Mercer County Park in West Windsor, NJ, to celebrate NJTL of Trenton’s 50th Anniversary Gala. The day began at the Mercer County Indoor Tennis Center with a VIP meet-and-greet and tennis exhibition featuring special guest Kim Clijsters, former World No. 1. The exhibition was guided by Bill Mountford of the International Tennis Hall of Fame with coaching support from Dr. Dave Marshall. Joining them on court were NJTL of Trenton alumni and current students, along with gala sponsors — creating unforgettable moments for all in attendance.

Festivities continued at The Boathouse at Mercer Lake, where guests enjoyed dinner and live auction. We proudly honored The George H. & Estelle M. Sands Foundation and NJM Insurance Group for their dedication to NJTLT through the years. In addition, NJTL of Trenton was recognized with proclamations from Mayor Reed Gusciora and Mercer County Clerk Paula Sollami Covello, honoring our 50 years of impact.

Thanks to the generosity of our sponsors, honorees, alumni, and guests, we reached our $500,000 fundraising goal! These funds will directly support programs such as Summer Camp & ACE, Ashe Elite Indoor Tennis, Minecraft Education, community outreach, and the provision of equipment and educational supplies. A heartfelt thank-you to everyone who made this milestone possible. Your support ensures NJTL of Trenton can continue to transform lives through tennis, education, and mentoring for generations to come.

Here’s to 50 years of empowering youth — and the next 50! 🌟

FEATURING: KIM CLIJSTERS

Kim Clijsters was born in Bilzen, Belgium to a very sporting family--her father Lei was a soccer coach and player, named as Belgium's 1988 Player of the Year, and her mother, Els, a Belgian champion in gymnastics--but for Kim it wall about tennis. She started playing competitive tennis at the age of six and made her WTA debut in May 1999 in Antwerp.

With her enthusiasm, talent and sportsmanship, she conquered the hearts of tennis fans and players both on the court and off in no time. In August 2013, she became the 13th player and first Belgian

to hold the No.1 singles ranking, she spent a total of 20 weeks as WTA World No.1 and is one of just six women to own the WTA World No.1 ranking simultaneously in both singles and doubles. Clijsters won her first Grand Slam singles title at the US Open in 2005, before stepping away from the game in 2007 to start a family. Her stunning comeback two years later would produce a further three majors – the US Open in 2009 and 2010, and the Australian Open in 2011, taking her total haul of singles titles to 41; she also captured doubles crowns at Roland Garros and Wimbledon in 2003 among 11 titles in the team discipline. Eight times the winner of the WTA’s Karen Krantzcke Sportsmanship Award, and was recently honored with induction to the International Tennis Hall of Fame’s Class of 2017. Kim stopped playing professional tennis in 2012, but made a short comeback in 2020 after 7 years of absence and participated in 5 tournaments (including the US Open of 2021) before retiring definitely in April 2022. Kim, now a mother of three, Jada, Jack and Blake, is still involved in tennis as WTA and PTPA Ambassador, honorary president of the International Tennis Hall of Fame the WTA year-end championships which she won on three occasions. She is also co-owner of the Las Vega Night Owls, a pickleball team that competes in the Major League Pickleball.

Clijsters won the WTA Tour season-ending Championships singles title three times (2002, 2003, 2010). In 2001, she was part of the Belgium Fed Cup winning team. Clijsters was inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame on July 22, 2017 and was appointed Honorary President of the Hall of Fame on August 25, 2022.

2025 Honorees:

Deborah Sands Gartenberg

George H. & Estelle M. Sands Foundation

The George H. and Estelle M. Sands Foundation was started by George and Estelle Sands in 1996. During the first few years, the foundation primarily supported the Princeton Medical Center, the Princeton Library, and the Arts Council of Princeton as well as a few other local organizations. In 2009, Jeff Sands with his wife Betsy, and Deborah Sands Gartenberg, children of George and Estelle, took over running the foundation.

Deborah's passion and volunteer efforts have always been about supporting children who don't have access to many opportunities. The children in Trenton became her focus, and for the last few years she has devoted her time and her portion of the foundation's funds toward giving the children in Trenton opportunities to succeed, stay in school. and benefit from better health. Debbie works with and supports about 25 local organizations whose missions are to accomplish these goals. NJTL has a special place in Debbie's heart. She has been an avid supporter since 2016.

NJM Insurance Group (New Jersey Manufacturers)

Founded in 1913, NJM is a leading property casualty insurer in the Mid-Atlantic region. The Company employs nearly 2,500 workers and is headquartered in West Trenton with offices in Parsippany and Hammonton.

NJM operates in the sole interest of its policyholders, resulting in competitive prices and award-winning service. Dedicated employees are the foundation for NJM’s culture of service, honoring commitments, fostering trust, and building long-term relationships with our policyholders.

The Company is consistently recognized for its award-winning customer service, superior claims handling, and overall customer satisfaction. NJM’s personal insurance products and services are available to all Connecticut, Maryland, New Jersey, Ohio, and

Pennsylvania residents. The Company also works with a preferred network of independent agents to deliver business insurance in Connecticut, Delaware, Maryland, New Jersey, New York, and Pennsylvania.

A core value at NJM is to support the communities we are privileged to serve. Our corporate giving and volunteer programs put this value into action by helping address the needs of the communities where our policyholders and employees live and work. In 2024, the Company supported over 500 charitable organizations across the Mid-Atlantic region.

NJM has been a proud partner of National Junior Tennis and Learning of Trenton (NJTL) since 2010. The Company was a contributing sponsor to NJTL’s annual gala and has provided financial support for a court renovation project at Cadwalader Park and the Academic Creative Engagement (ACE) program. NJM’s support of the NJLThas included helping fund improvements to Trenton’s Villa Park Tennis Courts and its employees participating in the annual Capital Cup Tennis Competition.