Kristin Spielberg, Event Planner, Boys & Girls Clubs of the Valley; Susan Hood, CTC President; and Mike Jaltuch, CTC Vice President
Dannette Hunnel
The premier tournament of the Cottonwood Tennis Club (CTC), the Bradshaw/Neu Tournament, took place Dec. 1 through Dec. 7, 2024. This charity tournament, CTC’s largest attended event of the year, was made possible by these generous sponsors located in the Sun Lakes area: The Battery Doctor, Big Two Toyota, Blue Group, Canine Creek, DH Books, Edward Jones, Francine Nolan, K&R Refrigeration, The Kolb Team, Ongerts, RIS, Robson Reserve, Sandbar, Sandy & Sons Auto, Spooner Physical Therapy, Sun Lakes Servers, and The Young Team.
Other means of fundraising were supported by the donations of gift certificates for lessons and services by these fine local businesses: BLM Hair Design, Hornacek’s, Kwong Young, Maroon & Gold, The PGA Superstore, Sacred Beauty, and Nancy Sticka. Additionally, we were fortunate to receive handmade bountiful gift baskets and restaurant gift certificates by our own awesome club members as items for the silent auction. These items, combined with entry fees and our annual 50/50 raffle, made it possible for CTC to offer sizable donations to two very notable charities.
Jan. 29 brought together many Cottonwood Tennis Club players and social members for a celebratory happy hour welcoming CTC’s newest members. The happy hour included creative fun snacks, cocktails, and a presentation of charitable donations. The two worthy recipients were Boys & Girls Clubs of the Valley and Neighbors Who Care (NWC).
Boys & Girls Clubs of the Valley: The well-known Boys & Girls Clubs currently provides programs to more than 12,000 children in deserving neighborhoods, including meals, activities, counseling, and scholarships. CTC is happy to support this cause. This year’s amount was the largest that CTC has donated in the 13 years of supporting the Boys & Girls Clubs.
Neighbors Who Care: This team of caring volunteers does much for our community right here in Sun Lakes. They are dedicated to helping seniors remain independent with non-medical services such as wellness checks, errands, transportation, and companionship. It was CTC’s pleasure to donate $2,000 to this organization of kind volunteers. These appreciated funds were received by Sheryl Keeme, executive director of NWC.
We’d also like to thank businesses The Buttered Biscuit and Foster Fellez of American Furniture for catering meals to our competing players. Lastly, a huge shout-out to the CTC volunteers. Without their help, our tournaments would not be possible. Many thanks to our amazing tournament director Dean Sinerius and those who assisted with photos, sound system, communications, and the food court coordinators and their helpers. These are the real heroes as CTC continues to make this tournament the success it has been and the ability to assist these two Valley charities in the good work that they do.