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United Tennis is strengthening its players’ academics by incorporating a language program in 2025. In this way, any student who is part of United Tennis will have the opportunity to study Spanish, French and/or Chinese. A new initiative that arises thanks to the collaboration with educational entities recognized locally, nationally and internationally. For Spanish classes, United Tennis reached an agreement with the Complutense University of Madrid. For French classes, with the French government program Alliance Française and for Chinese classes, with the Ballantyne Sprout Montessori school. The objective, according to UTO Executive Director Belén Gómez-Jordana,” is to offer our players the opportunity to learn about different cultures and open a world of possibilities to young people” Language classes will begin on February 17 and will be taught online.

United Tennis has created a system of recognitions and awards for those students who do the most hours of the Winward Academic Program to promote education even more among our students. Our winner for the month of November was Katie Yan, a volunteer and student of our tennis program in the Mint Hill – Charlotte area. Katie was the student who did the most productive Winward hours last November 2024, therefore, our first Winward winner.  Congratulations Katie!

Thanks to the USTA Foundation support, United Tennis players and volunteers will be able to access their own Winward academic program account to study and practice the subject matters they want such as math, science, reading, and grammar among others.  The students will be able to also practice for the SAT and ACT exams.  Winward Academy is a program dedicated to students between 7th and 12th grade that help students to reduce the academic gap and improve their literacy in different topics.

During the 48th Hall of Fame Ceremony of the North Carolina Tennis Foundation, United Tennis received the award for the Best NJTL of the year 2024 in North Carolina. Along with the recognition, United Tennis received a two thousand dollars check that “United Tennis will use to strengthen the educational part of the organization”, said its Executive Director Belén Gómez-Jordana. United Tennis was chosen by the members of the NJTL committee of the NC Tennis Foundation who voted unanimously, as members of the organization indicated.

In this way, United Tennis ended a very productive year in implementing several pilot tennis programs and obtaining great accomplishments such as the 5 de Mayo Festival with the Gastonia Police Department, the expansion of United Tennis to the Mint Hill – Charlotte area and the purchase of a van to benefit UTO students. According to Belén Gómez-Jordana, “this award has been the icing on the cake to a year 2024 that has taught us to know how to take advantage of every opportunity that is offered to you.”

United Tennis would like to thank deeply the NC Tennis Foundation for choosing United Tennis as a recipient of this recognition.

United Tennis Organization wants to thank each student, each parent, each volunteer, each donor, each community supporter, each staff member, and most of all to God for letting us to make an impact in our community during this year! We are really grateful to everyone that has contributed to our work with time, effort, and resources! We wish you that this Holidays are full of joy, peace, and love! Let the New Year 2025 be filled of wonderful things for you and your dear ones! From the bottom of our hearts have a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!!!

Belén Gómez-Jordana, Executive Director UTO

EXP Realty is considered the number one real estate agency in the country by the number of agents and transactions in the United States. No other company in this country guides more people to buy a home than they do.
They work for and with you. They are here to ensure that every open house, every negotiation, and every decision is made with their clients’ best interests in mind. The real estate landscape is changing and with it, the way EXP Realty serves you is evolving in real time.

EXP Realty North Carolina will guide you to get the foundation of your future, your place to rest at night, your space to create memories and fulfill dreams.
EXP Realty North Carolina is committed to the Latino community in the state. Hence, they are sponsors of the Cinco de Mayo Festival in Gastonia. Their contribution has made it possible for this festival to take place once again. United Tennis is very grateful, since for the first time, the Cinco de Mayo Festival in Gastonia will be a fundraising event for our student programs! Thank you EXP Realty for helping us to fulfill our dream!

La Antigua Guatemala is the first Guatemalan restaurant in Gastonia. It is located at 2525 S York Rd, Gastonia, NC 28052. It was recently opened for business. In La Antigua Guatemala, you can taste a wide range of typical Guatemalan and international food prepared with fresh and quality products. The flavors satisfy every paladar of their local and foreign clients. Guatemalan cuisine traditionally includes corn, tortillas, beans, rice, and meats such as pork, chicken, and beef. While there is no official national dish of Guatemala, one of their most representative dishes is Pollo en Pepián; a chicken stew that fuses Spanish and Mayan flavors cooked in a spicy sauce with pumpkin and sesame seeds. A dish that you can taste at La Antigua Guatemala Restaurant.
From United Tennis we want to thank you for your support by being one of the sponsors of the Cinco de Mayo Festival in Gastonia. Thank you La Antigua Guatemala for helping us to achieve our goals!

Occasion On Main is an elegant and beautiful event venue located in the heart of Gastonia’s Downtown district. The building dates back to 1904. It is a completely remodeled place that combines rustic and modern touches to create a perfect and charming space for your event. Exposed brick walls maintain the original character of the building. Besides, its wooden floors, metal doors, and stunning modern lighting, the venue offers a beautiful ambience for your celebration!
This innovative multi-level venue is ideal for couples looking for a separate indoor wedding ceremony space (available from June 1), cocktail lounge (available from June 1), bridal dressing room (available from June 1). and ground floor. The place has a large reception room with capacity for up to 300 guests per event, 215 if seated. Each of these spaces is uniquely dark, providing an intimate atmosphere with an element of surprise. Our cocktail area is an intimate setting; ideal for smaller gatherings such as birthdays, baby showers, bridal showers, and so forth. Without a doubt, the perfect place for every celebration. Additionally, Occasion on Main is supporting this year’s Cinco de Mayo Festival, hosted by United Tennis and the Gastonia Police Department! Thank you Occasion on Main for allowing us to continue our goal of creating a positive impact among youth through tennis and The education!

The City of Gastonia is growing very quickly and the proof is the number of Latin American restaurants that have opened in the city in recent months. One of those restaurants is Mi Bella Honduras. It is the first Honduran restaurant in Gastonia and is located at 3206 Union Rd, Gastonia.
Mi Bella Honduras Restaurant NC is a place where you can enjoy Honduran cuisine, especially “pollo chuco” which is very popular on the northern coast of Honduras. It consists of fried chicken with slices of green banana, cabbage, onion, sauces, dressings, and cheese. Besides, Mi Bella Honduras offers you an endless number of typical Honduran dishes, both meat and seafood. Decorated with typical Honduran paintings, this restaurant has an event room, where you can hold private celebrations. Mi Bella Honduras decided to support this year the Cinco de Mayo Festival and from United Tennis we are very grateful. Thank you Mi Bella Honduras for helping us achieve our goal!

The non-profit organization, XIII Casas NC, joins as a main sponsors of the Cinco de Mayo Festival in Gastonia. The mission of Trece Casas North Carolina is to improve the quality of life of the most needy people, offering them a roof over their heads or improving the home in which they live. Thus, they contribute to help people to have decent housing. If there is any damage in your home that endangers yours or your family’s well-being, you can call this organization and explain your case to them. They will walk you through a qualification process. If you qualify, all repairs are done free of charge to the affected people. The XIII Casas NC organization is located at 6212 Tuckasseegee Rd, Charlotte, NC. If you are interested in collaborating with this organization by offering donations or volunteering, you can contact them through their social networks, Facebook and Instagram 13 Casas NC. From United Tennis we want to thank the support offered by this organization to the Cinco de Mayo Festival in Gastonia 2024. They will be present with more information for everyone who needs it.

Located in the heart of the city of Gastonia, this restaurant maintains the structure and character of what was a theater at the beginning of the 20th century.
In the 1920s, the theater was about celebration and imagination; and that is precisely what this restaurant wants to reflect and show.
Originally Webb Theatre, it has a space with a character that goes beyond any restaurant you can reach. Voted by customers on Open Table as the best atmosphere in Charlotte, this gem has been embraced by the community and appreciated by those who visit it. With a menu of contemporary food, they are proud to be part of the resurgence of Gastonia, an area brimming with complex culture. The menu includes charcoal-cooked meats. They have various dishes, where they combine salty with sweet. Without a doubt, an experience that cannot be missed. From United Tennis we want to thank Webb Custom Kitchen for its support at the Cinco de Mayo Festival in Gastonia, 2024. Visit https://www.webbcustomkitchen.com/ for more information.

Photo property of Webb Custom Kitchen