Harlem’s James Blake And Others Swing At City Parks Foundation Tennis Benefit Auction

City Parks Foundation (CPF), the only nonprofit whose mission is to offer programs in public parks in the five boroughs, will, for the first time, hold its 23rd annual CityParks Tennis Benefit as a digital auction during the US Open. Top auction lots include a Meet & Greet with sports icon and champion of equality Billie Jean King and tickets to watch the 2021 US Open from her private suite, a doubles match with actors Ben Stiller and Hank Azaria, and a Miami Open Finals VIP Experience including a Meet & Greet with former Harlem tennis pro-James Blake. The auction is open for digital bids on CharityBuzz, ending on September 16. 2020.

The event raises funds for CityParks Tennis, which provides free tennis instruction to over 6,000 children in 37 parks throughout the five boroughs. While City Parks Foundation is unable to hold the annual Tennis Benefit at the US Open this year due to the pandemic, support is still needed to keep CityParks Tennis, the largest municipal tennis program in the country, free and available for all. As Billie Jean King noted, “These are the kids who live and breathe tennis, who, with your support, still hope for the chance to make their high school team or earn a college scholarship.”

In spite of the challenges this summer, City Parks Foundation remained determined to offer limited programs for kids to safely use New York City parks to learn, play, and compete. A restructured CityParks Tennis program followed all COVID-19 safety protocols and offered hundreds of kids opportunities for match play and drills to hone skills and build competition endurance.

City Parks Foundation Auction Items Include:

Billie Jean King Meet & Greet with 2 Tickets to 2021 US Open Suite

• This unique experience includes 2 suite tickets for the day session on Tuesday, August 31, 2021, food and beverage, and a meet & greet with Billie Jean King.

Play Doubles with Ben Stiller & Hank Azaria at Saw Mill Club in Westchester, NY

• Enjoy a fun-filled time playing doubles with two Hollywood stars! Ben Stiller and Hank Azaria will challenge your team or split up and play with you and a guest for a memorable hour of doubles at the Saw Mill Club in Westchester NY.
• Club head pro Steve Owens will serve as the umpire.

Courtside Seats to the 2021 US Open Championships (Round 1-16) in New York

• Experience the 2021 US Open from 2 courtside seats in Arthur Ashe Stadium on any single day session from Round 1 on August 30 through Round 16 on September 6th.

Courtside Tickets for 2 Days at the 2021 BNP Paribas in Indian Wells, CA

• Spend 2 days (for you plus one guest) watching the matches courtside at the 2021 BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells California.
• Experience includes 2 courtside tickets for 2 guests for both the day and evening sessions for 2 days between March 10-14 for a total of four (4) sessions.

James Blake Meet & Greet Plus a 2021 Viewing of the Miami Open Men’s Finals From the Lacoste Luxury Suite

• Spend the day at the 2021 Miami Open in the Lacoste luxury suite watching the Men’s Finals and Women’s Doubles on April 4, 2021 in Hard Rock Stadium.
• Enjoy food & beverage and a Meet & Greet with Tournament Director and retired tennis pro James Blake.

2 VIP Tickets to the 2021 Tennis Champions Series

You and a guest will enjoy the ultimate VIP packages to the 2021 Champions Series. This experience includes:

• 2 Entries in the “Play with the Pros” hitting sessions
• Access for 2 to the “VIP Player Party”
• Access for 2 to the “Backstage Experience” Player Meet & Greet
• 2 courtside seats to the event
• 2 PowerShares Series gift items
• 2 Autographed Photos of Participants with all four headlining players
• A Private Locker Room Meet and Greet for (2) to meet the Legends after the event

2019 cities included: Newport Beach, CA; Tampa, FL; Charleston, SC; Maui, HI; Newport, RI; San Jose, CA;

Los Angeles, CA; Toronto, ON; New Haven, CT; Houston, TX. Some 2019 players included: John McEnroe, Andy Roddick, Jim Courier, and James Blake.

For auction information and to bid, visit www.charitybuzz.com/support/cityparks. For more information on the CityParks Tennis program and how to donate, visit: cityparksfoundation.org

At City Parks Foundation, we are dedicated to invigorating and transforming parks into dynamic, vibrant centers of urban life through sports, arts, community building and education programs for all New Yorkers. Celebrating our 30th anniversary this year, we program in more than 400 parks, recreation centers and public schools across New York City and reach 300,000 people each year. Our ethos is simple: thriving parks mean thriving communities.

Photo credit: James Blake Wikipedia.