Serving up for Charity

Rounding up the year is the Andy Roddick Foundation’s 5^th annual Charity Gala. Held on December 4^th in Austin, TX, the event will include a live performance from Jimmy Buffett and the Coral Reefer Band.

Isn’t it the dream of everyone to be able to combine what you love with a worthy cause? For some of us, this dream comes with a greater ease than it does for others. As the tennis season begins to wind down, with all four major tournaments having passed, tennis stars are taking this little bit of down time to give back.

In the coming months, across the country there will be many events to take part in, all of which integrate the game of tennis and provide awareness on the growing conditions of certain issues in our society.

On Monday, November 15, Billy Jean King and Sir Elton John will bring their annual WTT Smash Hits charity night to Washington, DC, for the first time in the events history. Tickets for the one-night event went on sale Tuesday, September 7, at 10 a.m. The longtime friends have come together for the last 18 years to raise money for the Elton John AIDS Foundation, EJAF. This year’s event will benefit the EJAF and the Washington AIDS Partnership, with funds rose from the pre-match Smash Hits VIP Reception and Auction specifically going to local programs in the Washington, DC area.

Players include tennis greats like Andre Agassi, Steffi Graf, Anna Kournikova and James Blake, along with other top players. Forming two teams, the players will take part in in five sets of World TeamTennis, and joining in the fun will be the Sir himself, participating in a celebrity doubles match to open the event.

From November 5-7, Chris Evert will be holding her annual Pro-Celebrity Tennis Classic. The multi-day event features a multitude of activities for ticketholders. Held at the Delray Beach Tennis Center and the Boca Raton Resort & Club, fesitivies include a classic cocktail party, Tennis with Chris Evert herself, and of course pro-celebrity tennis. Also included in this weekend is, a night of elegant fine dining and dancing and live auction at the Pro-Celebrity Gala.

There’s a bit of sad news in the month of November, after 25 years, the Pam Shriver Tennis Challenge will be shutting down. Held as one of Baltimore’s top sporting events over the years, the event has been able to raise over $4 million for the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation and children’s charities through the Baltimore Community Foundation. The final event will be held November 17 and will include an afternoon celebrity pro-am at Green Spring Racquet Club followed by a Silver Anniversary Ball at the Sheraton Inner Harbor that evening.