The University Healthcare City Hospital Foundation will sponsor its eleventh annual tennis classic on Saturday, September 13 at Saint James School in Saint James, MD. Organized by a group of local physicians, the event was established in 2004 as a fund raiser to benefit City Hospital which is now Berkeley Medical Center.
According to Frank Sabado, MD, committee chairman, a number of physicians on staff at the hospital play tennis on a weekly basis. It was during one of those weekly sessions that they started talking about organizing a tennis tournament to benefit Berkeley Medical Center. “That’s how it all began. And now, here we are, ten years and over $100,000 later,” Sabado said, referring to the total net proceeds to date from the event.
Last year, the committee voted to donate the $11,000 in proceeds from the tournament to the new Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) at Berkeley Medical Center. The unit is expected to open this September.
This year’s tennis classic goal has been set at $12,000, and organizers are still unsure how the money will be used. “I can assure all donors that the money will be put to good use again this year,” Sabado stated.
The annual University Healthcare tennis tournament is a round robin format with the highest scoring doubles awarded. Trophies will be awarded to the top two players in the men’s and women’s divisions, along with the player with the most aces. In order to participate, registrants must be 18 years old by September 1, 2014.
Registration begins at 8:00 am at the St. James School tennis courts, with play to begin at 9 am. The individual player entry fee is $100. Corporate sponsorships are also available at $1000, $500 and $250 levels. An awards ceremony with lunch, provided by Sodexo, will immediately follow the conclusion of play.
For more information on participating in the 2014 tennis classic, contact the University Healthcare corporate office at 304-264-1223.
