Ashe's 23rd Annual Benefit for Children 2006

The “Grandslam Open in the Park”, the Gala Opening Benefit for Arthur Ashe Youth Tennis and Education, took place on Friday, April 28th. The evening was a smashing success; 1,200 guests were in attendance and the event raised a total of $2.2 million!

Guests arriving at the NEW AAYTE Center earlier in the evening were greeted by a drum corps from Germantown High School and also three 20-foot towering puppets. They were led into the new facility and toured the building, ending up in the enormous silent auction area while they sipped cocktails and enjoyed wonderful hors d’oeuvres.

Before dinner, guests were treated to a musical performance by eighteen participants from AAYTE programs which took place on three stages. The dinner program then got off to an exciting start when the national anthem was played on the sax by Mark Rivera, longtime saxophone player for Billy Joel and music director for Ringo Starr.

After dinner, nine live auction items were auctioned off by special celebrity guests and VIPs and raised over $120,000. The silent auction continued on throughout the festivities, closing up as guests departed for the evening.

The AAYTE Center, in the East Falls neighborhood of Philadelphia, will commence programming in mid-June for its participants. It features eight indoor and eight outdoor tennis courts (including one stadium court), a computer lab, classrooms, a fitness room, an expanded library, storage and administrative and program offices. The goal is to increase the 10,000 young people who currently participate in AAYTE programs throughout the Greater Philadelphia region.

For this momentous year, the Grandslam Chairs were Dennis Alter (CEO & Chairman, Advanta), Bill Mills (Regional Head of PNC Bank) and Fred Shabel (Vice Chairman, Comcast Spectacor.)

Gala Dinner Chairpersons Irene McMenamin Shabel, Jean Park and Linda Swain planned the sensational event, which included cocktails, dinner catered by Restaurant Associates and the city’s BEST silent and live auctions.

Special guests that evening included Sen. Rick Santorum; tennis greats Butch Buchholz, Kathy Jordan, Tony Trabert, Vic Seixas, Charlie Pasarell and Mary Carillo; USTA President Franklin Johnson; noted tennis coach and instructor Dennis Van der Meer; former New York City Mayor David Dinkins; Comcast SportsNet Host/Anchor Michael Barkann, former Philadelphia Eagles Mike Quick and Fred Barnett and many more VIPs.

The AAYTE auction, noted for its luxurious and unique items, included premium tickets to the Australian Open, Wimbledon (via Eos Airlines), the French Open at Roland Garros and the US Open (including a limo to and from Arthur Ashe Stadium in New York, and VIP service in the prestigious President’s Suite). Dinner catered in your home for 30 people by Philadelphia’s most famous French chef, Georges Perrier; a party for 60 people at Brasserie Perrier hosted by Chef Chris Scarduzio with Jerry Blavat, the Geater with the Heater, as your DJ; a deluxe 18-day trip to Australia; private travel for up to 8 people on a Gulfstream IV Jet anywhere on the East Coast; plus tickets, autographed memorabilia, chef’s tables, suites and much, much more!