Yesterday saw Billie Jean King and John McEnroe raising funds for CityParks Tennis, a free youth instructional program that serves over 7,500 children in parks throughout New York City each season.
City Parks Foundation's annual CityParks Tennis Benefit, co-chaired by Billie Jean King and John McEnroe, was held at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center.
Held each year at the US Open Tennis Championships, the event features a cocktail party, dinner, silent and live auction, and tickets to the evening’s matches. The festivities this year opened with live music by John McEnroe and his band.
Additionally, CityParks Tennis student Carmen Ramirez, age 17 from Queens, NY was presented with an award of excellence by Billie Jean King and City Parks Foundation Board President David Moore. Ms. Ramirez joined CityParks Tennis seven years ago at Juniper Valley Park in Queens and joined the Reebok Junior Tennis Academy last year, allowing her to further advance in the sport. The Reebok Junior Tennis Academy is a free, annual scholarship training program for New York City juniors with intermediate or advanced playing ability.
CityParks Tennis, one of the largest municipal tennis programs in the country, provides free tennis lessons and activities at 40 parks citywide to children ages 5-16. CityParks Tennis also features an advanced training academy, which offers talented youth with financial need the opportunity to bring their game to a higher level of competition. Hundreds of academy graduates have earned college athletic scholarships and sectional and national rankings. Two graduates of the academy have played in the junior division at the US Open.
