VCU news

By Pamela DiSalvo Lepley
Division of University Relations

There were a lot of wide eyes and smiles as some of the world’s most famous tennis players joined school children from the Lobs & Lessons program to help break ground for the Mary and Frances Youth Center at Virginia Commonwealth University. 
Eight-time Grand Slam winner Andre Agassi and his wife, tennis hall-of-famer Stefanie Graf, along with three-time Grand Slam champ Lindsay Davenport and the world’s No. 4 ranked player James Blake offered encouragement as the young students lobbed tennis balls into a target, setting off colorful streamers and uncovering a huge rendering of the center.

The Mary and Frances Youth Center, located at the corner of Linden and Cary streets on VCU’s Monroe Park Campus, will provide the Richmond community with a wide range of life skills, mentoring, academic and athletic programs for at-risk children. It is being funded by a private, $1.5 million donation from Michael Fraizer, chairman and CEO of Genworth Financial Inc., and his wife, Elizabeth. 

“When you get up every day, you have an opportunity to make a difference.  One great way to do that is to stand for youth – to give them a chance to succeed,” said Michael Frazier. “Standing for children takes partners, purpose and passion.”

Fraizer said the center is named to honor the passion for volunteerism and commitment to philanthropy demonstrated by the Fraizers’ mothers -- Mary Fraizer and Frances Royer.  Both women were dedicated volunteers in their communities throughout their lives.

“I can’t think of anything more important than providing disadvantaged youth with a place to come and learn and grow,” said Michael Fraizer. “It’s important to have the center on an urban campus, where children can aspire to succeed and see that they can go to a university and further their education.”

The center initially will be home to Lobs & Lessons, an after-school program that promotes education and life skills for more than 100 Richmond area youth each year through the combination of mentoring, tutoring and teaching tennis skills. The program is a partnership of VCU’s Division of Community Engagement, the VCU SportsCenter and Genworth Financial.

“Genworth Financial has been a wonderful partner in developing the Lobs & Lessons program, and because of this partnership, we’ve already touched hundreds of children in the short three years that the program has been in operation,” said VCU President Eugene P. Trani. “At the same time, we saw the need for a real platform for expanded youth programs and a permanent home for “Lobs and Lessons” and Mike and Elizabeth’s involvement and personal gift will help make this happen.  The Mary and Frances Youth Center will be a great opportunity to expand on our foundation for youth in the area to come to our campus and see first hand the educational opportunities possible in their future.”

VCU plans to increase the number of organizations and programs operating out of the center. The 5,400 square-foot building will include instructional space for tutoring, a computer lab, offices, board room and catering space.  The grounds will include two hard-surface tennis courts and a basketball court.

Construction will begin immediately, with completion expected in June 2007.