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The Winston-Salem Open, presented by Flow Automotive and Truist, has announced a $20,000 donation to the Winston-Salem/Forsyth County Schools middle school athletic programs and a $5,000 gift to local community tennis associations from a portion of the proceeds of the 2024 tournament.

“The Winston-Salem Open is first and foremost a community event,” Tournament Director Jeff Ryan said. “A lot of people may not realize we are locally owned and operated in Winston-Salem, so it’s a top priority to support our schools and those who provide public tennis.”

This latest round of donations brings the post-COVID total to $100,000.

The $20,000 for Winston-Salem/Forsyth County schools is earmarked for programs usually at Title 1 schools which may not always have sufficient funds to support middle school athletics.

“It is a core value at the Winston-Salem Open to support the city that supports the tournament,” said Winston-Salem Professional Tennis Board Chair Don Flow. “We know sports, especially for young people, improve cognitive development and skills, create friendships and improve overall self-esteem.”

The tournament also gave $5,000 to grassroots community tennis programs within the Winston-Salem community — $2,500 to Winston-Salem Tennis, Inc. and $2,500 to the Kimberley Park Tennis Association. Both organizations focus on low or no-cost programming for underserved populations and providing play opportunities for thousands of local people.

“It’s a great gift for us to encourage not only the next generation of tennis players, who might not always have access to equipment, instruction or courts, but to also energize our local players to keep on with this sport which you really can play for a lifetime,” Ryan said.

The $25,000 gift was the result of the eight-day event held at the Wake Forest University Tennis Complex between Aug. 17-24.