Raise spirits – and funds – by playing in and donating silent auction items for the 18th Annual FRIENDS Charity Doubles Tennis Tournament, benefiting Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta. Tournament chairman Nancy Orrico reports that 50 percent of the slots for the doubles tournament are already taken. She expects the remaining teams to be registered by the end of the month.

Scheduled for Thursday, May 10 through Sunday, May 13 at the Steeplechase Tennis Facility in Lawrenceville and other venues in North Gwinnett, the event will help make a difference in the lives of many young patients and their families.

Registration form and fee of $40 per player can be completed and submitted online at www.friendstournament.org.

Tournament participants are guaranteed at least two matches, and will receive a commemorative 2007 Tournament T-shirt, a 'goody bag' loaded with valuable merchandise and a complimentary invitation to the Tournament Party, which features dinner, drinks, music and door prizes. Winners in the championship bracket will receive valuable gift cards to the PGA Tour Superstore, while all finalists will receive limited edition 2007 Tournament Bag Tags.

The format for the tournament consists of men’s and women’s doubles tennis, with multiple levels from beginners to AA, and a consolation bracket at each level for teams with a first-round loss.

Friends 2006 Tournament Winners

“The annual FRIENDS Charity Doubles Tennis Tournament has been a real benefit to Children’s,” says Scott Hodoval, vice president of development for the Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta Foundation. “The volunteers put so much into this to make it a really fun, outstanding event; and the funds raised from the tournament supply Children’s with truly cutting-edge equipment and supplies that are needed for our patients.”

The four-day tournament will also feature a silent auction with numerous must-have items, a free tennis clinic for kids and much more. Organizers are still soliciting auction items and services. The donations made to the 2007 tournament range from a one-day off-site Team Leadership Workshop donated by The Packer Group to a round-trip, same-day flight to the Augusta Country Club for a private tennis lesson donated by ImagineAir.

This tournament is dedicated “In Memory of Caroline Brown,” daughter of Beth and Jeff Brown of the Steeplechase community in Lawrenceville. In May 2004, two-year-old Caroline unexpectedly needed life support treatment, and the specialized equipment at Children’s was her only hope. Sadly, Caroline eventually lost her battle, but that extraordinary equipment gave her family a few more days to spend with their baby. Because of community fundraising such as this Tournament, the FRIENDS organization was able to contribute money toward the purchase of the equipment that helped the Browns and countless other families.

Register for the tournament at www.friendstournament.org. To donate silent auction items for this year’s tournament, or for further information or assistance, contact Michelle Clark at 770-614-6464 or Michelle.Clark@friendstournament.org.