Portland Athletic Club's Play for Japan Fundraiser a Recreational and Rewarding Event

The Raleigh Hills-based Portland Athletic Club (PAC) held a "Play for Japan" fundraiser, tennis social, and potluck luncheon on Wednesday, March 23, to raise money for the earthquake and tsunami victims in Japan. The event combined the love of tennis with the desire to help a country in need. The fundraiser brought over 40 people to the club and raised over $1,500 for Mercy Corps!

During the fundraiser, tennis drills and games were played, T-shirts were sold, raffle tickets were purchased, and an auction was held, with all of the proceeds going directly to Mercy Corps. PAC tennis teaching professionals, Maureen Harwood (director of "Play for Japan") and Anthony Blackburn (also tennis professional at Nike World Headquarters), volunteered their time to run on-court tennis activities for the participants. As it was a potluck, many players brought delicious Japanese dishes to share with everyone.

Some of the participants even had their 15 seconds of fame! KPTV Fox Channel 12 News shot a quick 30 second clip of the event, which aired at 4:00 p.m and 5:00 p.m. on Wednesday evening. To view this video, go to http://www.kptv.com/local-video/index.html, then type in the Search box, "Tennis Players Hit Court for Fundraiser."

To look at some photos taken at the fundraiser, see below.

Harwood, Blackburn, and the rest of the Portland Athletic Club staff would like to thank all those who donated and attended this fundraiser to make the event such a success!

To learn more about the event, contact Portland Athletic Club at 503-292-2649, or e-mail Maureen Harwood (slicequeen@gmail.com) or Alyssa Morrison (alyssa@portlandtennisleague.com).