CalVIP Spotlight: How Proyecto Pastoral’s Impacto
Program Is Keeping Tennis Alive in Boyle Heights

On a sunlit Tuesday afternoon in the heart of Boyle Heights, one of Los Angeles’s most notable and historic Chicano/Mexican American communities, the laughter of children and the bounce of tennis balls echo through the Aliso Pico Recreation Center. In a neighborhood better known for resilience than rackets, a small but mighty movement is taking root, one forehand at a time. 

Thanks to funding from the California Violence Intervention and Prevention (CalVIP) program, a state-funded initiative that supports community efforts to reduce violence through intervention, prevention, and mentorship, USTA Southern California is partnering with local organizations like Proyecto Pastoral’s IMPACTO youth development program to bring tennis and valuable life skills to underserved kids across the region.

IMPACTO, part of the broader Proyecto Pastoral organization and one of several CalVIP sites in Southern California, is now home to weekly tennis programming that’s making a difference. USTA SoCal’s Community Tennis Coordinator Bryan Hudson supports five to six active sites each week, from South Los Angeles to San Bernardino, providing structured tennis programming aimed at inspiring youth, building life skills, and keeping public tennis courts alive in historically marginalized communities. These structured sessions create safe, empowering environments for youth.

At the IMPACTO site, the partnership began after students attended USTA SoCal’s 2024 Hispanic Heritage Month Event at Cal State LA. “They were waiting for their rackets,” said Pablo Cisneros, Proyecto Pastoral Recreation Coordinator. “They couldn’t wait to start playing.”

Every Tuesday afternoon, the courts at Aliso Pico Recreation Center come alive with the energy of young players as tennis takes center stage. Through an 8-week program led by IMPACTO, around 25 kids aged 8-13 learn the game in a way that’s simple but powerful: show up, commit, and have fun. But what happens on the court goes far beyond forehands and footwork. Backed by CalVIP, this program transforms tennis into a meaningful tool for violence prevention, a source of stability, safety, and self-discovery. In a structured, supportive space, kids are encouraged to stay focused, look out for one another, and steer clear of the dangers that often surround them off the court. Tennis, here, is more than just a sport; it’s a lifeline.

“We just want to introduce our kids to as many new things as possible,” Cisneros said. “You never know what someone’s going to connect with. Tennis is something a lot of our kids have never had access to before, now, they’re excited every week for it.”

This excitement is evident in the stories of players like 11-year-old Matthew, who picked up a racket for the very first time through the CalVIP program. “It’s really fun when you get to hit the ball and go against other players,” he said. His favorite part? “The warmups and the games, especially the one where we keep playing until the ball falls.”

Victoria, 9, also discovered tennis for the first time at IMPACTO. “My favorite part is having fun and doing games,” she shared, smiling. She dreams of continuing to play tennis when she gets older, maybe even competing on her future high school team someday.

For Cisneros, the tennis program isn’t just about athletic skills, it’s about planting seeds for a better future. “We want the kids to commit to something, to stick with it,” he said. “We even ask them to name three dreams, one on the court, two off the court, so we can help them stay motivated.”

Keeping tennis alive in Boyle Heights is a personal mission that is especially meaningful to Cisneros. “It’s one of the last public tennis courts left around here,” he said. “I want our kids to have access to it, and to see tennis as something they can pursue.”

Programs like CalVIP offer a rare opportunity to introduce consistency, mentorship, and positive role models into the lives of kids who need it most. “Consistency matters,” Cisneros emphasized. “The more activities, mentors, and choices kids have, the more they learn about prioritizing and committing to things they care about.”

Hudson sees the same transformation across multiple communities, and echoed this impact, sharing: “The best part of my job is getting to introduce tennis to kids who otherwise wouldn’t have been exposed to the sport. Tennis was very uncommon in the community where I grew up, but it has turned into a lifelong passion and even a career. Seeing the joy, smiles, and laughter of the kids tackling a new sport is priceless!”

Looking ahead, Cisneros hopes to see IMPACTO’s CalVIP players continue to grow, and maybe even compete. “I want to see our kids enter tournaments, play in high school, and come back and tell us, ‘Hey, I’m still playing tennis,’” he said. “That’s the dream.”

Because of programs like CalVIP, tennis in Boyle Heights is no longer just a sport, it’s a lifeline. It’s a structure, joy, and opportunity. It’s serving up new dreams, new skills, and a new future, one bright, bouncing ball at a time. And for a growing group of kids, it’s the first step toward a future they may never have imagined.