Empowering Children for Life, the Israel Tennis Centers Foundation
Rolls into June with Events in Three States
Coming off an historic series of fundraising exhibitions this past February and March, the Israel Tennis Centers Foundation announced a fresh set of events for the month of June in three east coast states: New York, New Jersey and Pennsylvania. 2017 marks the start of the organization’s next 40 years, and if the Feb/March results are any indication, this will be a banner year for the ITC and the children of Israel.
“We were so grateful and inspired by the reception we received in New York and Florida earlier this year. It continues to validate the impact that the ITC has had on more than a half million children these last 40 years,” said Executive Vice President of Global Operations Jacqueline Glodstein. “Empowering Israel’s children for life is such a strong and important mission, and we are proud of how we have prepared children from disadvantaged backgrounds to have successful futures.”
The upcoming June events are scheduled for the following four markets:
Thursday, June 1: Maywood Tennis Club in Maywood, NJ –
Exhibition & Buffet Dinner
Friday, June 2: Private home in Short Hills, NJ –
Shabbat Supper
Tuesday, June 6: Germantown Cricket Club in Philadelphia, PA –
Tennis Exhibition & Reception
Saturday, June 10: Private home in Scarsdale, NY –
Tennis Exhibition & Reception
A diverse team of Israeli players and coaches representing various Israel Tennis Centers will share their deeply personal stories about what the ITC has meant to them, their families and the communities in which they live. They will also participate in a high-energy tennis exhibition.
The focus of the ITC is on changing children’s lives every day so they can become better human beings. It offers a safe and nurturing environment in which ALL Israeli children regardless of background can learn vital life skills while sharpening their tennis abilities. Through its social impact programs, a wide range of children are served, including youth at risk, immigrants from Ethiopia and Russia and children with special needs, from autism and ADHD to Down Syndrome as well as those with developmental and physical disabilities. The ITC also recognizes the ability of tennis to bring together children of different religions and ethnicities as seen in its highly successful Coexistence Program.
The players include Majd, a 10-year-old Arab boy who plays at the Ben B. and Joyce E. Eisenberg Israel Tennis Center in Jerusalem. He participates in the ITC’s Coexistence Program, playing alongside Jewish children while fostering better understanding and respect for one another. “I love coming to the center. We learn so many important lessons here, both on and off the court. We are all friends, and we don’t feel that there is any difference between us. Being at the ITC is like being part of a warm and loving family.”
For more information or to attend any of the exhibitions and meet Majd and his teammates, please contact ITC Vice President of Development Yoni Yair at 954-480-6333 x223 or yyair@israeltenniscenters.org. You can also get more details on each event by visiting http://www.
Empowering Israel’s Children…Beyond Tennis and Beyond Borders
Founded in 1976, the Israel Tennis Centers (ITC) is one of the largest social service organizations for children in Israel, serving over 20,000 Israeli children every year. The ITC’s 14 centers stretch from Kiryat Shmona in the North to Beer Sheva in the South. Many of these centers are in underprivileged neighborhoods, providing disadvantaged children with a safe, structured and nurturing environment.
The ITC offers uniquely designed programs to meet the specific needs of its children:
- Social Impact: assisting youth at risk, those with special needs such as Down Syndrome and autism and children of new immigrants from Russia and Ethiopia
- Coexistence: bringing together Israeli Jews, Arabs, Bedouins and Druze to play and learn
- High Performance: training Israeli children to excel as tennis players.
All of these programs are open to all children living in Israel, regardless of background, religious affiliation or economic circumstance. No child is ever turned away.
