Tennis for Charity donates $8.9 Million over four decades to Cincinnati Children’s

This year’s annual gift of $175,000 helps fund pediatric Cancer survivor Clinic

Thursday, February 21, 2019

Cincinnati philanthropic organization Tennis for Charity presented today a check to Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center President and CEO Michael Fisher for $175,000.

This latest gift, an annual tradition since 1974, brings the giving total from Tennis for Charity to Cincinnati Children’s to $8.9 million and makes Tennis for Charity a member of Cincinnati Children’s 1883 Society – a group made up of those individuals and organizations that have given more than $5 million total to Cincinnati Children’s.

Tennis for Charity was long the owner and operator of the Western & Southern Open professional tennis tournament that has taken place in various venues around Cincinnati since 1899. After a sale of the event to the United States Tennis Association in 2008, the organization retained ownership of the Lindner Family Tennis Center in Mason and leases the venue back to the event each year.

The mission of Tennis for Charity is to use the funds derived from activities at the Tennis Center to do good in the Cincinnati community. Beyond the relationship with Cincinnati Children’s, the organization has donated more than $1.3 million to the Barrett Family Cancer Center and nearly $1 million to Tennis for City Youth, an organization that uses the funds as sole operating monies to drive tennis programming for inner city youth. Additionally, Tennis for Charity funds youth tennis programming for countless other organizations, such as Breakthrough Cincinnati and Activities Beyond the Classroom, via annual grants.

In an event held at Cincinnati Children’s, the tournament presented a donation to the hospital for the 45th consecutive year. The Tennis for Charity board, including Chairman Ken Berry, were on hand to make the announcement, along with media and other special guests.

Michael Fisher, president and CEO of Cincinnati Children’s, attended the ceremonies and received the donation on behalf of the hospital.

“We are grateful for today’s gift and our decades-long relationship with Tennis for Charity and the Western & Southern Open,” said Michael Fisher. “This incredible generosity helps fund our work with children who have survived cancer and furthers our mission of being the leader in improving child health.”

Since 1987 the donated funds have been appropriated to the Cancer Survivor Clinic within Children’s Hospital. With the help of the Western & Southern Open, the charity also organizes annual visits to the hospital from ATP World Tour and WTA players to interact with patients. Andy Roddick, Brooklyn Decker, James Blake, the Bryan Brothers and Petra Kvitova are just a few of the stars that have made the visit.

"These donations are a testament to the dedicated fans who attend each year, the board members who care about using the funds to do good, and mostly hard work of the volunteers who contribute countless hours each year to the Western & Southern Open, because they know their compensation will be donated back to our beneficiaries," remarked Tennis for Charity Chairman Ken Berry. "Cincinnati Children’s does great work to better our city and we're proud to support them."