 |
||
 |
|
|
raise a racquet for kids |
ActiveWomen's 20-30 Club
|
Raise a Racquet for Kids (RARK) is dedicated to raising funds for pediatric cancer research taking place at the Steele Center. Every October, RARK holds a tennis event which combines fun activities for the whole family. The founder and chair of RARK is Anne Fritz, a former tennis pro, who currently is a health science researcher at The University of Arizona. Anne wanted to find a way to combine her passions for tennis and research. In 2002, she inaugurated the first Raise a Racquet for Kids event at the Tucson Racquet and Fitness Club. The format proved successful--a Friday evening outdoor barbeque dinner, silent and live auctions, live musical entertainment and exhibition matches featuring local and internationally known pros. During a free tennis clinic for kids taught by local pros and Ronald McDonald, kids of all ages won prizes for demonstrating their tennis skills. Saturday featured Men's and Women's Doubles matches and a Pro-am calcutta. In that first year, volunteers and participants helped raise more than $23,000 for cancer research--a truly impressive amount. Last year, due to increased community support, more than $80,000 went towards pediatric cancer research at the Steele Center.
|
