Successful Sisters

* SUCCESSFUL SISTERS: Tennis stars Venus and Serena Williams, accompanied by their mother, Oracene, smile as they are honored during the unveiling of their statue design at the recent grand opening of the Southeast Tennis and Learning Center in Washington, D.C. The figure was not completed at the time of the opening.

The $5.1 million state-of-the-art facility will house "Steps To Success," a 5-foot-6 bronze statue that symbolizes the sisters' great accomplishments on and off the court. The center is the flagship project of the D.C. Recreation Wish List Committee, which was founded by former D.C. First Lady Cora Masters Barry. The opening was capped-off with a black-tie gala featuring a special performance by Grammy Award-winning Yolanda Adams. Other guests included Wimbledon doubles winners Pam Shriver and Zina Garrison. The goal of the Learning Center is to support young people as they learn the sport of tennis while they develop personally and academically.