Port Washington Holds Annual Breast Cancer Awareness Event

October 31, 2016 | By Long Island Tennis Magazine Staff

The Port Washington varsity girls’ tennis team held its annual Breast Cancer Awareness Play with the Teachers event to raise money for the Susan G. Komen foundation.

The event partners students with teachers for a round-robin tournament and raises money for the Susan G. Komen Foundation, the most widely known and largest breast cancer foundation in the United States.

“We always talk about the importance of giving back to the community in the beginning of every season, and this is our big event to end the season,” said Port Washington head coach Shane Helfner. “When I started this eight or nine years ago, I realized that everyone loves seeing their teacher outside the classroom and thought it would be a lot of fun for the girls to select a teacher that they want to form a doubles team. Then they would go out into the community and ask for donations to sell raffles, with that money raised going to breast cancer awareness.”

Helfner said one of the most rewarding aspects of doing the event is it inspires many of the students to continue this philanthropic event planning when they head off to college, continuing to pay it forward and giving back to their communities.

“We have been doing this event for a few years now and I love it so much because we get to get the team back together right after the season ends, so we are still a family in that sense, and we get to give back to the community in a very nice way to help fight for a cure for breast cancer,” Port Washington senior Sophie Lampl. “The teachers get involved which is fun because we get to see them in a different light and environment, and gives us a chance to teach them a little tennis.”

In the end, it was Jeannie Ren and her partner, math teacher Adam Wolfert, who would win the tournament.  And in all, the event raised a remarkable $1,129.26 for the Susan G. Komen Foundation. 


Long Island Tennis Magazine Staff
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