Tennis for Hope serves up $5,000 towards fight against breast cancer

The Grassroot Tennis Club has made its contribution to the fight against breast cancer.{{more}}

This follows a promise made by Grassroot Tennis Club Director Grant Connell who created a new event, “Tennis for Hope”, specifically to raise the funds as part of the Grassroot Tennis Club’s mission and community outreach.

On Tuesday, this week, Connell handed over a cheque for $5000 raised from the entry fees and sale of event t-shirts. He showered praise on the team at the Club for their extra effort in making the event a success.

The donation was handed over to Dr. Rosalind Ambrose of the SVG Medical Association who thanked the Grass Root Tennis Club for the “very generous donation” which Ambrose says will be used to help cover costs of travel for patients who have to go abroad for treatment.

The SVG Medical Association leader describes the initiative of the Grassroot Tennis Club as a “very, very gracious effort.” She expressed the wish that the collaboration would continue next year and beyond.

Dr. Ambrose reminds that breast cancer is the second leading cause of cancer deaths in St. Vincent and the Grenadines.

With Tennis For Hope, the blue courts of the Grassroot Tennis Club had become a bright spot for the fight against breast cancer with the use of pink tennis balls and a variation game called “One Racquet Doubles Tennis” in which two persons, partners, played with the same tennis racquet passing it over to each other as the ball came across the net. Mini tennis was also a feature of Tennis For Hope.

The event attracted persons new to tennis, several couples who enjoyed a great way to have fun; they exercised, laughed at themselves, socialized and supported a great cause. The enterprising event also caused the visit of Richele LeSaldo, a tennis coach from leading Barbados Hotel, Sandy Lane.

According to Connell, plans are in place to stage a bigger fund-raising event in 2012. This new event “will take on a different format but would still be exciting, new, and the color would be blue”.