Israel Tennis & Education Centers Foundation Hosting Exhibitions To Combat Child Poverty Crisis
In its continuing efforts to help all the children of Israel, the Israel Tennis & Education Centers Foundation has announced an exciting and ambitious series of fundraising events stretching coast to coast in late May and June:
Beverly Hills, CA – Sunday, May 31st, 5 pm
Scarsdale, NY -Tuesday, June 2nd, 6 pm
Philadelphia, PA – Wednesday, June 3rd, 6:30 pm
Short Hills, NJ – Friday, June 5th, 6:30 pm
Sullivan Island, SC – Sunday, June 7th, 5 pm
Toronto, Canada – Sunday, June 14th, 5 pm
Under the banner “Empowering Israel’s Children… Beyond Tennis and Beyond Borders”, the ITEC has arranged for a group of children and their coach representing various centers throughout Israel to visit these six communities in the US and Canada and tell their inspiring stories about life in Israel and the important role that the ITEC has played in their lives.
Since the opening of the first center in Ramat Hasharon back in 1976, almost a half million children have been positively impacted by the life skills they have been taught. This achievement is especially significant given the serious level of child poverty in Israel, currently affecting 35.6% of all children living in Israel…the fourth highest among all developed nations! It is a precarious situation that the Israel Tennis & Education Centers know all too well. That is why the ITEC goes far beyond training children become better tennis players. The real focus is helping them to develop the skills necessary to be productive and self-supporting members of Israeli society.
Through its social impact programs, a wide range of children are served, including youth at risk, immigrants and children with special needs, from autism and ADHD to Down Syndrome as well as those with developmental and physical disabilities. Tennis has the unparalleled ability to bring together children from different religions in coexistence programs, promoting understanding, cooperation and friendship on and off the court.
Meet 18-year-old Ellie, a member of the visiting Israeli contingent whose life has been turned around by the ITEC. Ellie is a soldier in an elite and prestigious unit of the Israeli Defense Forces and an alum of the Nussdorf-Mark Families Israel Tennis & Education Center in Jaffa. There she was taught valuable life skills that enabled her to excel in school and graduate with top marks. As part of the center’s Coexistence Program, playing alongside Arab children, she discovered the importance of tolerance, understanding and respect for other cultures. “I am so thankful to be part of the ITEC family where I learned the importance of judging individuals by their worth and not where they came from,” Ellie said. “I have made strong friendships that endure to this day.”
For more information or to attend one of the events listed above, visit the ITEC website at https://itecenters.wpengine.com or contact Jacqueline Glodstein, ITEC Vice President/Global Development, at jglodstein(at)israeltenniscenters(dot)org or 212-784-9201.
About the Israel Tennis & Education Centers Foundation:
The Israel Tennis & Education Centers Foundation (ITEC) is a 501 (c) 3 not-for-profit organization that has worked since 1976 to help Israeli youth develop life skills through the medium of sport. The ITEC serves over 20,000 children annually, many of them from disadvantaged neighborhoods or outlying development towns throughout Israel. The ITEC’s 14 centers stretch from Kiryat Shmona on the Lebanese border in the North to Beer Sheva bordering the Negev Desert in the South. https://itecenters.wpengine.com.
Contact:
Jacqueline S. Glodstein
Vice President, Global Development
212-784-9201
jglodstein@itecenter.wpengine.com