On November 24, over 60 kids took part in the 4thAnnual Tennis-A-Thon, hosted at the Toronto Lawn Tennis Club, in support of the Doug Philpott Inner City Children’s Tennis Fund. This wonderful event took place from 2pm to midnight, and included several fun tennis drills, games, prizes, and of course, Pizza (from Pizzaville)!
Many thanks to Sophie Pepper, 12 years old, who has attended the Tennis-A-Thon every year and is a huge supporter of the Doug Philpott charity. In addition to individual donations from family and friends, she also managed to collect 40 new and used rackets and a kind donation of $1000 from Fidelity Investments, by sharing her campaign with Montcrest School and her father’s workplace.
When asked about what drove her to start this campaign, she said,
“I love tennis. It’s an important part of my life. I want to help other kids experience the joy I get from tennis. I also have my eye on volunteering for Doug Philpott Foundation as soon as I’m old enough. I love working with little kids and being able to expose them to tennis would be awesome.”
Sophie has played tennis her whole life at the Toronto Lawn Tennis Club and in OTA Tournaments. She comes from an active family of tennis players; Her grandparents continue to play well into their 70s and 80s at a high level, as well as Sophie’s parents. Fun Fact: Sophie’s great-grandmother played at Junior Wimbledon!
The Doug Philpott Inner City Children’s Tennis Fund is very thankful for the Toronto Lawn Tennis Club, Pizzaville, Sophie Pepper, Fidelity Investments, and all those who attended, for helping us raise over $9000 to help Philpott continue to bring tennis to priority neighbourhoods across Toronto.