Support for Paris Williams: Tennis Child Prodigy

Introduction of Paris Williams

Paris Milan Williams was born on December 1, 1993. Age 9, she started playing basketball and was an exceptional player averaging 30 points a game.
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Later, Paris tried playing tennis at the age of 12 on the public courts in Vallejo, California. She found this sport to be exciting, challenging and brilliant. At 12 and a half years old, Paris found her passion in tennis. Her mother agreed she could play tennis if Paris won 4 basketball championships. Paris bought home 6 championships instead.

Paris Williams, Tennis Child Prodigy

In May 2006, Paris was playing both, tennis and basketball at the same time. Later, she decided to focus exclusively on tennis. Competing in her first Junior USTA tournament in June 2006, she lost. Disappointed but not beaten, Paris threw herself into a vigorous training of 5 days a week, to be the best she could ever be. Starting her first competition in June 2006, Paris was ranked 485. However, by Dec 2006, she rose to be in the top 20.

Then turning age 13 in December 1, 2006, Paris competed in the 14 yr old division. This change in age caused her to re-start from the bottom again now at 480, she raised her ranking to the top 5 in the 14 yr old division by June 2007.
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By June of 2007, Paris was ranked top 5 that resulted in being chosen to represent the Northern California Tennis in the Florida Zonals. In October 2007, during her freshman year of high school, she became the #1 tennis player. Paris also won the All League Sectionals of the Solano County Athletic Conference Division. Since 2006, Paris made the decision to set her goals on becoming a Professional Tennis Player. Paris has won numerous junior tournaments and also won the Women's Opens. She needs to be able to compete in international competition against world-class athletes to get ranking points and recognition. She will be taking on-line college courses while she pursues her professional tennis career.

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Today, Paris recently turned 17 on December 1, 2010, and will graduate from High School with honors, six months early by December 13, 2010! She will begin competing on the professional women’s tennis circuit in January 2011. Her greatest challenge is to secure sponsorship for the international competition. This would enable her to compete against world-class players to obtain the needed ranking points and to be recognized in the professional tennis record.
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Paris’s proven and brilliant achievements are a gift of talents that should not be ignored. Considering her family’s environment of six siblings, one being disabled, survived domestic violence, absent father’s support, years of homelessness, the sudden death her grandparents and now being a single parent home, has made Paris a child survivor.
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Paris’s determination to make the best out of life is exemplary to all of us. She has chosen a positive path that is shown by her willingness to succeed, her spirit of determination, and her dedication with a humbling spirit.
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With your help, you will not only support a rare and wonderful talent of Paris Williams but you will help build our children’s future
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the future of our America.

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Paris Williams has shown us that in spite of her hardship,
she is still able to do her part for America,
by being the best in her field.
We need to support her… for hers is our America.

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It is for this reason we are humbly requesting your help. She has a tremendous training team in place:

Serena Williams, top tennis player

Lance Johnson who is her tennis coach, has coached Serena & Venus Williams and Nadia Petrova, top ten players in the world, and Abdul Sillah her personal trainer, who has trained Venus & Serena Williams as well. However, the preliminary feedback is for Paris to get into the international tournaments to gain ranking points. This is a double-edged sword, because getting into tournaments is already challenging and also travel related expenses to compete in these tournaments needs to be funded desperately.
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Paris is a totally committed tennis player and she’s confidence 
that she will be successful if you assist her with this opportunity 
to pursue a career in professional tennis.

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We hope that you will sponsor Paris ... 


It is not what we acquire in life, but what we give … 


For in the near future, it is you who has made Paris be the best version of who she is and others who has rare talents like her.

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Cost of Competition: 12 months
$ 70,000 Travel International/Domestic
$ 10,000 Transportation/Gas
$ 30,000 Hotel/lodging
$ 12,000 Meals
$ 30,000 Coaching
$ 7,500 Equipment
Total Cost $159,500
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Paris is seeking assistance from individuals, private businesses, organizations and/or foundations that are motivated to support her goal of competing on women’s professional tennis circuit. For additional information on how you can assist her.
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Please contact LaDonna Williams at (707) 712-4088, or email at zzeria@aol.com
P.O. Box 5653, Vallejo, CA 94591.

Support Antwon Calhoun-Star Child

I, Terilynn Langsev, am writing on behalf of Antwon Calhoun, a 19 year old who has been admitted to Curry College as a freshman for the fall of 2010.

Ten years ago, I was a volunteer tutor in a 3rd grade class and was paired with a bright, engaging, charming boy who was far below grade level in reading and writing. As I worked with Antwon, it became apparent to his teacher and me that his reading challenges were significant and that I was not able to help him.

When I sought services from Children’s Health Council in Palo Alto California, he was tested and diagnosed with an expressive and receptive language processing disorder, as well as ADHD and a math disability. His strengths were his gross motor skills, perception, speed, agility, and coordination and his intelligence was within normal range. With this information we knew that he could learn, but needed specialized instruction and assistance. Antwon began working with an educational therapist, Dr. Rebecca Payne, who made great progress with him and helped him keep up with his class work through fifth and sixth grades.

Since he was six months old, he as been raised by his grandmother, Dorothy Stewart, who worked full time and suffers from serious health problems. When I first meet Ms. Stewart, she asked that I help her advocate for services for Antwon in the public schools; due to her ongoing health issues, she has asked that I continue to represent her on his behalf. Dr. Payne and a child advocate attorney, who both volunteered their time, and I continued to advocate for services for him in the public schools through eighth grade. 

While the public schools did provide additional support for Antwon, it became clear that they had neither the expertise nor the resources adequately to address the needs of a student with his type of learning difference. By the end of eighth grade, Antwon was far behind his grade level and was also beginning to have discipline problems in school. 

At that point, I was told by the public high school special education coordinator that if Antwon attended the local public high school, he would be put in classes with severely disabled students and would be on track to receive a “certificate of completion” instead of a diploma. They were saying that the best they could do for this young man was to baby-sit him for four years. This was unacceptable.

After a nationwide search of appropriate independent schools, I found a placement for him at a Pine Ridge, a boarding school in Vermont which specializes in teaching students with learning differences. It was a dramatic change and difficult adjustment for him to attend a boarding school across the country. To his credit, he managed to make great progress both academically and personally. After two years in Vermont he was admitted to what is considered the most highly-regarded high school for students with language based learning differences – Landmark School in Massachusetts.

In his two years at Landmark Antwon flourished personally and made tremendous progress academically. He participated in the chorus both years and performed in New York as part of the annual chorus tour. He was on a panel to answer questions and give campus tours to prospective students and their families, played lacrosse, and was on the wrestling team. Even though it was just his second year at Landmark, Antwon was elected Student Body President his senior year. He was accepted to four colleges and universities with support programs for students with learning differences, and has elected to attend Curry College in Milton Mass. where he hopes to play football and plans to study business communications.

The fact that Antwon has graduated from high school and has been accepted to college is a tremendous accomplishment, not just from the standpoint of his learning disability, but also from the personal circumstances that surround him. Antwon has had little contact with his mother, and even less with his father. Antwon was raised by his grandmother and her life partner, Mr. Mack Mc Clendon. Due to Ms. Stewart’s ongoing health issues, Antwon’s home environment was often unstable and unstructured. He was raised in an “at risk” neighborhood with numerous temptations and opportunities to become involved with illegal and/or dangerous activities. Antwon is a first generation high school graduate and college attendee.

Financially he is considered “independent” meaning that there is no expected support from his immediate family. Ms. Stewart has not been able to work for over five years. She receives a monthly disability payment, a small monthly retirement payment from her former employer, and she has no savings. Mr. Mc Clendon is retired and living on a fixed income, and, while not legally Antwon’s relative or guardian, has offered to contribute as much as he can towards Antwon’s tuition, as well as pay for much of his personal needs and travel to and from school.

Antwon has overcome a variety of difficult life circumstances to get this far. While not unique, his life challenges indicate a significant level of need and did qualify him for the highest possible amount of financial aid. Curry College has awarded him a generous financial aid package, and he has assumed a significant loan debt to achieve his dream of higher education. 

However, there remains a gap between the amount of aid and the total cost of attending Curry College. His grandparents, other adults supporters of his, and I have contributed a combined amount of $9,000. Details of his tuition requirements and current funding are below. The first priority is to raise enough funds to bridge the gap between the financial resources currently available to Antwon and the total cost of tuition and fees: $12,000. If funds are raised beyond this, they would be used to reduce the amount of his student loans.

Cost of attendance:

Tuition $29,300

Room and Board $12,190

Support Program $6,550

Fees $3,788

Total Cost $51,818

Current Financial Resources:

Federal Grants $6,550

Curry Grants, Scholarships and Awards $14,700

Federal Loans $9,500

Family/Friends Contributions $9,000

Total $39,750

Difference yet to fund: $12,068

Antwon is seeking assistance from individuals, private businesses, organizations and/or foundations that are motivated to support his goal of achieving a college degree. 

 For additional information on how you can assist him. Please contact me at 805.687.2279.

Thank you for your consideration of Antwon’s situation,

Terilynn Langsev

The New Design

This new blog for the Rotary Club of East Palo Alto Bayshore website, is designed keep the latest and up to date news for the members and the public who has heard the voice of calling. It is done in blogger for the ease in uploading videos, pictures, change of edits and add new posts at anytime. It is also search engined optimized. Blogger also enables different members to post their support, comments and concerns anytime. We hope that through this voice, we can further reach for support to help our community grow and build America.