Darien, CT – Dust off your racquet and grab a partner. Spring is around the corner and with it, the annual Play in May tournament, once again presented by Darien Rowayton Bank. The tournament will take place on Saturday, May 4th at clubs throughout Darien, New Canaan and Norwalk culminating with a lunch and finals matches to be played at the Tokeneke Club in Men's class A, B, and 55+ and Women's A, B and C. All proceeds benefit Norwalk Grassroots Tennis (NGT). Last year's event saw over 90 teams registered and several draws were full so players are encouraged to enter early.
Kicking off the event on May 3rd will be a pre-tournament cocktail party at The Country Club of Darien featuring special guest speakers from the program and an exciting Live auction emceed by USTA Executive, Harlan Stone. The cocktail party is included in the $275 entry fee for players, with additional tickets available for $60 per person to any
non-players interested in supporting the cause.
Norwalk Grassroots Tennis was founded in 1995 to provide economically disadvantaged urban youth of Fairfield County with structure and encouragement in a safe and productive environment. In addition to top-quality tennis instruction, the program provides participants the opportunity to develop important life skills including confidence, sportsmanship, respect and pride of achievement. Volunteers also provide year round tutoring and educational support services to the more 300 participants annually. Graduates of the program have gone on to achieve success academically and in tennis as well as in other collegiate level sports, including Volleyball and Football . The program is part of the SouthernCT Alliance for Inner City Tennis and Education, founded by Art Goldblatt, Harlan Stone and Alex Seaver which supports initiatives in Stamford, Norwalk, Bridgeport, New Haven and Danbury.
All services are provided at no cost to the child and are funded through donations and fundraisers like the Play in May event which has raised more than $500,000 for the charity to date. For more information on the event including tournament entry forms, party tickets or to make a donation, visit www.norwalkgrassrootstennis.org or email Ali Daniel at ashaydaniel@gmail.com.