Israel Tennis and Education Centers Foundation serves up a win during its Florida tour

The foundation has 17 centers and seven satellite facilities in cities and towns throughout Israel and supports children from difficult home situations who have special needs or are at risk, through tennis and other activities. Several facilities are in southern Israel including Ashkelon, Beer-Sheva and Ofakim.

Established in 1976, ITEC has been able to take immediate action with its extensive community facilities to help children and their families who are going through unimaginable times. Staff have been providing mental health support, hot meals and community outreach to those who have been relocated.

“We have been doing these events annually for many years, but it has never before been as important to show support for so many children who have endured traumatic loss of relatives and family members as now,” says Yoni Yair, ITEC senior vice president of development. “Our ITEC family provides the only safe place for many of the Israeli children who need to be around their peers during these difficult times. We are happy to host a few in the coming weeks who will share the magic of the ITEC experience empowering lives and transforming Israel”.

ITEC empowers children and transforms lives by providing opportunities to support any Israeli child regardless of geography, religion, ethnicity, physical ability, or socioeconomic status. Since opening its first center in Ramat Hasharon in 1976, ITEC has helped over 500,000 children, many of whom live in underserved towns throughout Israel. ITEC currently serves nearly 7,000 children weekly throughout 24 Israeli communities, stretching from the Lebanese border in the North to Beer-Sheva. The ITEC Foundation, a 501(c)(3), is the fundraising organization for ITEC, with offices in New York City, Florida and Toronto. For more information, visit http://www.israeltenniscenters.org