October 3, 2008
ATA Shootout Raises Record Funds for A Glimmer of Hope Foundation
Friends. Family. Community. Service. This past weekends Scholarship Shootout 2008 encompassed all of these things while joining them in a collaborative effort to give something back to those who need it most. With a cocktail party/dinner/auction/calcutta on Saturday night, and a pro-am doubles tournament on Sunday, the ATA community was able to come together, bringing home alumni from all over to participate in this annual community event and generate support for A Glimmer of Hope Foundation and the Austin Athletic Scholarship Foundation, while celebrating 5 years of success for the Austin Tennis Academy.
“We are connected to others in everything we do, from our families that live in the same house as us, to our neighbors in Ethiopia who live on another continent, in a another world,” Coach Newman said.
Started by ATA parents Philip and Donna Berber, A Glimmer of Hope Foundation is dedicated to making a direct sustainable difference in the lives of Ethiopia’s poorest and at-risk youth in inner cities. By creating projects that provide necessities like easy access to clean water, stable structures for schools, and proper health posts, the Foundation is able to offer a much healthier and safer way of life to those they serve.
The Saturday night party involved a live auction and a silent auction. The teams participating in the Saturday pro-am were auctioned off, while many pieces of sports memorabilia and special hitting sessions were featured in the silent auction. With the beautiful backdrop of the west Austin hill country, and an extraordinary dinner provided by Spanish Oaks Golf Club, the banquet was a huge success.
The Sunday pro-am format was set up with two groups of four teams competing in a round robin, with the winners of each group meeting in the finals. The day began at 8:30 with breakfast and a warm up, followed by the first round of competition at 9:30. After two rounds of intense doubles play, Bee Cave Bistro catered a delicious lunch to refuel all of the athletes for the final rounds. In the end it came down to Hackett’s Hackers ("owned by Don Hackett) against Youth and Wisdom ("owned by the Schmidhauser's) battling it out for a years worth of bragging rights. Youth and Wisdom won, so congratulations go out to the Schmidhauser's and thanks to them for donating their winnings back to the Austin Athletic Scholarship Foundation!
By encouraging students to participate in service projects and community events, the Austin Tennis Academy is living up to its standard of developing students to their fullest potential in tennis and in character. The 2008 Playing for Glimmer Campaign brought in $150,000 for projects in Ethiopia. ATA students, parents and coaches all contributed to raising this gigantic sum. These players were responsible for raising enough money to build 2 schools, a health post, and approximatly 11 new water wells!
Since ATA’s commitment to A Glimmer of Hope Foundation in 2000, enough money has been donated to build 27 water wells in Ethiopia, with a goal of an even bigger, integrated impact in 2008. Teaming up with A Glimmer of Hope allows ATA’s students to experience first hand the kind of direct influence their efforts can have, while contributing to a truly humanitarian organization.
Many thanks to all who participated in this year's Shootout and Playing for Glimmer Campaign. Congratulations to the ATA students for setting and accomplishing a tremendous goal.
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