The United States Tennis Association’s Eastern section will present 25 awards at its annual dinner next month, recognizing the ways its members have helped grow tennis – from developing instructional programs for young children, to revitalizing recreational tennis in public housing.

The awards will be presented to individuals and groups in the New York and New Jersey area, as tennis participation continues to grow across the country. A study released last month by the USTA and the Tennis Industry Association showed that more than 30 million people are playing tennis in the U.S., for the first time in more than two decades.

“It’s no secret that tennis is becoming more popular,” said D.A. Abrams, executive director of USTA Eastern. “But we don’t always realize how hard people work every day to provide opportunities to learn and play the sport. The awards dinner is our opportunity to recognize who have made 2009 a great year for tennis in our section.”

The awards dinner will be held Jan. 30 at the Renaissance Westchester Hotel in White Plains. It marks the end of the Eastern section’s annual conference, which will focus this year on volunteer recruitment and development.