WTT Washington Kastles

Kastles Owner Mark Ein Receives Jefferson Award

June 21, 2013 - World TeamTennis (WTT)
Washington Kastles News Release


Washington - Washington Kastles owner Mark Ein received the nation's highest honor for community service on Wednesday, winning the 2013 Jefferson Award for his exceptional contributions to the District of Columbia and surrounding communities. The three-time World TeamTennis champion Kastles were recognized for their profound impact on the Mid-Atlantic region, including donations of nearly $1 million in cash, grants, tickets and tennis equipment to more than 100 youth and military charities over the last five years.

Ein joins a "Who's Who" of sports figures to receive the Jefferson Award for Outstanding Service in Professional Sports: Hall of Fame NFL quarterback Jim Kelly, Hall of Fame NHL player Pat LaFontaine, former Philadelphia Eagle and NFL executive Troy Vincent, and NFL Pro Bowlers Peyton Manning, Irving Fryar, Ronnie Lott and Warrick Dunn.

Co-founded in 1972 by Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis, U.S. Senator Robert Taft, Jr. and Sam Beard, the Jefferson Awards are widely-regarded as the "Nobel Prize of Public Service." Twenty exceptional men and women were honored in various categories during Wednesday's ceremony, including Ein; author, professor and Holocaust survivor Elie Wiesel; U.S. Senators Tom Coburn and Pat Leahy; and labor rights activist Dolores Huerta.

While Ein's Kastles have won 32 straight tennis matches, that number pales in comparison to the victories that the Kastles are achieving in the D.C. community.

Since their inaugural 2008 season, the Kastles have donated nearly 5,000 tennis racquets to youth in the region and 8,000 tickets to a wide range of charitable organizations, including the Washington Tennis and Education Foundation, Southeast Tennis and Learning Center, and Mid-Atlantic Tennis and Education Foundation. In addition, Kastles "Kids Clinics" held during the WTT season have afforded thousands of children the opportunity to hit with tennis superstars such as Serena and Venus Williams.

Ein and the Kastles were previously honored with the Key to the City of Washington, D.C. in both 2009 and 2011. Following their second consecutive 16-0 season in 2012, the Kastles received both a resolution from the D.C. Council and a proclamation from the Office of the Mayor on the same day.

Off the court, Ein is actively involved in a wide range of civic, community and charitable organizations. He serves as the Chairman of the D.C. Public Education Fund (DCPEF), which has raised more than $80 million of private philanthropic support for the D.C. Public Schools system in just four years. He is also currently a board member of the United States Tennis Association (USTA), District of Columbia College Access Program (DC-CAP), International Tennis Hall of Fame, and Executive Committee of the Federal City Council. Ein has also been appointed by Washington, D.C. Mayor Vincent Gray to be a member of the D.C. Tax Revision Commission.

For more information about the Jefferson Awards, please visit www.JeffersonAwards.org.



World TeamTennis Stories from June 21, 2013


The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.

OurSports Central