In January the global tennis community came together to raise more than $6 million as part of Tennis Australia’s Aces for Bushfire Relief initiative.
The
fundraising efforts were showcased worldwide at Rally for Relief, a
spectacular night of tennis and entertainment led by Roger Federer, Serena
Williams, Rafael Nadal, Caroline Wozniacki, Nick Kyrgios and Petra
Kvitova, just prior to the Australian Open.
Rally as One, a national program to support bushfire affected communities launched today by the Australian Open (AO) and Australian Tennis Foundation (ATF).
“As
the bushfires raged across Australia in January it was heart-warming to see so
many of our global tennis family eager to offer support and raise funds to help
those communities suffering such devastation” Tennis Australia CEO Craig
Tiley said.
“Through
the Rally as One program we look forward to helping these
communities rebuild, and to contributing in a meaningful way to their health
and wellbeing.”
The funds raised will be used to help rebuild vital infrastructure
in some of the areas worst affected by the bushfires in January, as well as
deliver programs to support families and build resilience in kids.
“It was heartbreaking to see so many communities devastated by the
bushfires that swept across the country in January,” Australian Tennis
Foundation Executive Director Vicki Reid said.
“Rebuilding homes and community infrastructure is a long and difficult road and we wish to support the people in the community during this time. We’ve designed Rally as One to help communities come together, celebrate community spirit and promote social cohesion, knowing they have the support of the entire global tennis community.”
FREE COMMUNITY EVENT IN COBARGO – DECEMBER 2
Rally as One kicks-off in NSW on December 2 in Cobargo, a small country town in the Southern Region which was heavily affected by the bushfires.
Primary students from the local school will have a special visit from Casey Dellacqua where they will have the opportunity to have a hit with the Grand Slam champion, learn some new skills and have their photo taken with Casey.
The team from Tennis NSW/ACT and local community members will be restoring the garden bed at the tennis club in the afternoon which was burnt in the recent bushfires.
In the evening from 5pm – 9pm there will be a free community event at Cobargo Tennis Club for a night of social tennis, food and fun with the support of local business’s. We encourage all families to attend the event to celebrate community spirit and remind them there is always support.
Kangaroo
Island is the first stop in a series of Rally as One events, with
trips to Yeppoon
in Queensland, Cobargo in NSW, and Mallacoota and Cudgewa
in Victoria all scheduled for the coming months.
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