AUSTIN — AUSTIN -- Former US Open Champ Andy Roddick is a fighting force for Central Texas kids.
For five years now, the Andy Roddick Foundation has been helping children in Austin through his Summer Learning Program. And each year, the foundation’s six-week program has expanded. From one school to three, 80 kids to now more than 300 children a day.
Tuesday, children at Hart Elementary, one of the three schools, were paid a visit from Roddick himself. He said he began the program out of inspiration from tennis legends.
"Roger Federer is a lead ambassador for UNICEF,” he said. "Andre Agassi has transformed an entire side of Las Vegas through his charter schools."
Roddick decided to help children who are growing up with less than he did.
"I think you have to fix your backyard before you look at your neighbor,” said Roddick.
Roddick focuses on Austin, because it is where he lives.
"When we started, we looked at quality afterschool programs,” said Roddick. “In affluent places like Tarrytown, I think they said there's 187 quality programs available for after school. And over on the east side of Austin there were two."
According to foundation stats, 90 percent of students said the program helped them discover what they are good at. And the average daily attendance rate for the summer is 92.6 percent.