Ashe's 25th Annual Benefit for Children 2008

Arthur Ashe Goes First Class

By: Lily Williams, The Bulletin
Printed on 4/28/2008

On Friday, April 28, 2008, Arthur Ashe Youth Tennis and Education (AAYTE) did what it does best - beat poverty and despair with hope, enthusiasm, tennis - and a party that raised $1 million to benefit children in need.

For anyone unfamiliar with the mission of AAYTE, this extraordinary organization is a national model for innovative, public youth tennis and educational enrichment programs. Providing opportunities to an at-risk and diverse population, AAYTE delivers first-class tennis instruction, fitness, health and nutrition training, as well as tutoring, computer science labs, library services and a life-skills curriculum to more than 10,500 young people annually. Kids age 4 to 18, mostly coming from underserved, low-income communities, are given the opportunity to learn tennis from some of the best instructors available, receive mentoring and also have a place to go after school where they can do homework in a safe and nurturing environment. It's a win-win situation.

Friday's fete at the AAYTE Center on Ridge Avenue in East Falls marked the 25th anniversary of AAYTE's gala to benefit children. This year's theme is "Breaking Barriers," and what better what to celebrate a quarter of a decade of doing just that than to present the inaugural "Breaking Barriers Award" to U.S. Davis Cup team members past and present?

VIP Guests for the evening included gala Chairs Tom and Mary Caraccioli and Jim Fernberger and Mary Walto, as well as present and past U.S. Davis Cup team members Patrick McEnroe, Tom Gorman, Vic Seixas, Stan Smith and Tony Trabert.

During cocktail hour, guests had a chance to browse a staggering selection of over 1,000 of the choicest silent auction items imaginable. Been dreaming of popping up to NYC for the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Party and Dinner at Mortons? Four tickets went on the block starting at a mere $3,250. Looking for a bird's-eye view of the U.S. Open, you can do a whole lot worse than the President's Suite. The bidding progressed during the lavish live auction, which included the chance to invite 60 of your nearest and dearest to a dinner by Georges Perrier and Chris Sarduzio at Table 31 (opening in May in the Comcast Center ) and be entertained by the "Geator with the Heater, The Boss with the Hot Sauce," Jerry Blavat.

The best part of the evening was its light-hearted atmosphere. It's certainly not unusual to find an auto "giveaway" at a charity fundraiser, but this one came with an unexpected twist.

At the beginning of the evening, AAYTE students circulated among the guests and sold flashing bracelets, which served as tickets for the giveaway. During the dinner, a game of heads or tails was played to determine who won the car. The rules were simple: The emcee flipped a coin, and if you had a bracelet, you stood up and put your hands on your head or, well, on your tail. If they called heads and you had your hands on your head, you stayed in. If you had your hands on your tail, you were out.

Christopher McClellan, a student who sold the winning bracelet, and was himself playing, stayed in contention for a while but was eventually eliminated, visibly upset. But his luck soon changed. A man to whom he sold a bracelet, Steve Spinelli, beat the odds to win the car. Mr. Spinelli brought Mr. McClellan up on stage with him and announced to the crowd that he had made a deal with the young man when he bought his chance. He told the crowd that he told Mr. McClellan that if he won the car, Mr. McClellan would get a full college scholarship when he graduated high school. Easy enough, because Mr. Spinelli is the president of Philadelphia University .

Just another good news story from AAYTE.