By Tom Flanagan

STAMFORD, Conn. – With the junior resume that Marc Powers has compiled throughout his career, it’s no stretch to predict that someday he may take a shot at the professional ranks.

While Powers would love that opportunity and plans to work very hard toward that goal, there’s another part of life that is much more important than where his tennis career may take him.

Powers has always had a passion for giving back. Giving back to his community. Giving back to those less fortunate. Giving back to the game he loves.

So even if the chance to use his status as a famous tennis player to bring attention to causes he holds dear never arrives, he’ll continue to make an impact on the world.

“When I was young, I did some work with a group called Kids in Crisis,” said Powers, who attends Greens Farm Academy Prep School in Westport. “Now, giving back is just part of who I am, and it’s something that I love to do.”

Powers is undecided on where he will attend college and play tennis, but being the top-ranked 18-year-old in New England and a high honors student, his options are essentially limitless.

“I’m not 100 percent sure what my college plans are at this point, but I do know I want to find a school that has the perfect blend of academics and tennis,” Powers said. “I don’t want to be in a situation where it’s all academics, but I also don’t want to be in a situation where it’s all tennis. I also want the security of knowing that if I get injured and can’t play tennis, I’ll be at a great school and will be able to come away with a degree.”

USTA New England Player Development Manager David Zeutas-Broer has watched Powers’ career closely and is confident that the young man’s success will continue in all avenues after his junior career comes to a close.

“Marc’s excellent accomplishments in USTA national and sectional play and rankings have only been surpassed by the positive qualities of humility and hard work that he exemplifies,” Zeutas-Broer said. “As he goes on to a promising collegiate career, he will remain as a role model for representing New England with pride and as a consummate team player.”

Although Powers has been commended on many occasions for his volunteer work, much of what he does is under the proverbial radar. Take, for example, what happened a few summers back, when Powers was playing a match at a public court in Stamford. After awhile, a crowd of children started to gather to watch the proceedings.

“That was a great experience,” Powers said. “We were just playing a regular match, and all these kids started watching and getting into it. After the match, the kids were talking to me and telling me about how much they love tennis. I asked them if they had ever played, and most of them hadn’t.”

A couple months later, Powers returned to the public courts of Stamford on a Saturday morning. Ever since, he’s been spending up to three Saturday hours teaching the game to an ever-growing group of youngsters at no charge.

“I think I just realized very early how fortunate I am and how good I’ve had it growing up,” he said. “I’m also aware that there are a lot of kids who aren’t as lucky as I am. If I can do a little thing like teach these kids how to play tennis, maybe through the game they’ll be able to do some of the things that I’ve had the opportunity to do.”