Spring is around the corner and with it, the annual Play in May tournament presented by Darien Rowayton Bank. Grab a doubles partner and join us in commemorating “A Decade of Serving” Fairfield County youth.
The tournament will take place on Saturday, May 5 at clubs throughout Darien, New Canaan and Norwalk culminating with a lunch and finals matches to be played at the Tokeneke club in Men’s class A, B, Men’s 55 and Women’s A, B and C. All proceeds benefit Norwalk Grassroots Tennis (NGT).
Kicking off the event on May 4 will be a pre-tournament Cinco de Mayo themed fiesta at The Country Club of Darien featuring a silent auction and a special guest speaker from the program. The evening will conclude with a Live Auction emceed by USTA Chief Business and Marketing Officer, Harlan Stone and will feature unique items including a week at La Jolla Beach and Tennis Club with round trip JetBlue airfare to San Diego, a hitting session with Wimbledon Doubles Champion, Jared Palmer, and vacation get-aways to Vermont and Colorado among others. The fiesta is included in the entry fee for players and a guest and additional tickets are available for $75 per person to any non-players interested in supporting the cause.
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Norwalk Grassroots Tennis was founded in 1995 to provide economically disadvantaged urban youth of Fairfield County with structure and encouragement in a safe and productive environment.
In addition to top-quality tennis instruction, the program provides participants the opportunity to develop important life skills including confidence, sportsmanship, respect and pride of achievement. Volunteers also provide year round tutoring to the more 350 participants annually.
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Graduates of the program have gone on to achieve success academically and in tennis as well as in other collegiate level sports, including Volleyball and Football.
The program is part of the Southern CT Alliance for Inner City Tennis and Education, founded by Art Goldblatt, Harlan Stone and Alex Seaver which supports initiatives in Stamford, Norwalk, Bridgeport, New Haven and Danbury.
In February, the organization moved its office to a new location at 394 West Avenue in Norwalk. In warm weather months outdoor tennis instruction is held daily after school at the Norwalk Housing Authority courts and in the winter at indoor clubs including Kings Highway Tennis Club in Darien, New Canaan Racquet Club, Weston Racquet Club and Four Seasons Racquet Club in Wilton.
All services are provided at no cost to the child and are funded through donations and fundraisers like the Play in May event which has raised more than $450,000 for the charity to date. For more information on the event including tournament entry forms, party tickets or to make a donation, visit www.norwalkgrassrootstennis.org.
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The tournament kick-off party on Friday features a silent auction, program participant speakers from Norwalk Grassroots Tennis, and a Live Auction with unique items including a week at La Jolla Beach and Tennis Club with round trip JetBlue airfare to San Diego, a hitting session with Wimbledon Doubles Champion, Jared Palmer, and vacation get-aways to Vermont and Colorado among others.
The fiesta is included in the entry fee for players and a guest. Additional tickets are available for $75 per person to any non-players interested in supporting the cause. All donations go directly to Norwalk Grassroots Tennis. For more information on the party or to register a team, email playinmay@yahoo.com or visit our website.
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From Robeks Juice:
For the fifth consecutive year, Robeks Juice in Darien will provide liquid refreshments at the Play in May tournament luncheon at the Tokeneke Club on May 5 at noon. This year they will feature Evergreen, one of their new fresh vegetable juices. This popular flavor contains kale, spinach, celery, cucumber, apple, and lemon, tastes great and is full of valuable nutrients to help fortify players after their matches.
The 10th annual tennis tournament includes doubles play in Men’s class A, B, Men’s 55 and Women’s A, B and C. Owner, Cheryl Curthoys, a runner-up in last year’s C division, will again take the court for some competitive doubles play in support of the charity.
