At this year’s third annual Golf Outing to benefit the Mardy Fish Children’s Foundation, 64 players enjoyed a picture perfect day on the links of the challenging Windsor Golf Club and later mingled with other supporters over lunch with Fish, who had flown in from California for the occasion. Funds from the event, which raised close to $35,000, represent a continued investment in the futures of Indian River County children.
In 2007 Fish, then a top-ranked tennis professional, established the Mardy Fish Children’s Foundation to enrich the lives of children in his hometown. The Foundation has continued to expand through steady, sustainable growth, each year broadening its scope to involve ever more children in its fitness and enrichment programs.
“It’s what we hoped and what we set out to achieve,” said Fish of the blossoming nonprofit organization. “We don’t want to stop now. We want to continue to grow its reach and get more people to understand what we’re trying to do.”
The MFCF Kids on Court tennis program is now available to every kindergarten-to-8th-grade student in Indian River County. The program is also offered at four middle schools with more in the works, and the foundation also holds a three-week Summer Camp.
Hundreds more children are enrolled in the Kids in Motion after-school enrichment programs in partnership with the Indian River County School District as well as through nonprofit agencies such as the Homeless Family Center, Gifford Youth Achievement Center, Daisy Hope Center and Harvest Food and Outreach Center.
“We’ve also started working with area clubs, doing Junior Grand Prix Tennis events,” said MFCF director of tennis, Alison Mays, a United States Professional Tennis Association member.
“It’s being spearheaded by Henner Lenhardt at Sea Oaks, Bob Falk at Hidden Palms and Marco Osorio at Vero Beach Tennis Center. We’re hoping other clubs will join in because it’s a lot of fun and the kids are really enjoying it. It’s a stepping stone from beginner to USTA.”
She and Kristen Wilson, the former MFCF director of tennis, see promise in Amonte, a young girl at Treasure Coast Elementary school, who has been enrolled in Kids on Court for five years, starting at about age 6, and is now working with Lenhardt.
“It’s just been amazing to watch her confidence grow as much as her tennis skills. She’s a future star, so it will be fun to watch what happens with her,” said Wilson by phone from her home in Michigan, where she continues to assist MFCF with communications and social media.
“She has aspirations of being the next Serena,” agreed Mays at the Golf Outing.
“Fundamentally, changing a course of a child’s life is our mission,” said Mardy’s father Tom Fish, MFCF board vice president and director of tennis at Windsor. “We use sports as our textbook to teach a child the skills to learn to reach for their dreams. We provide extracurricular programs designed to help children develop confidence, courage and inspiration to pursue extraordinary goals and lives.”
“Today was an example and evidence of all that has been accomplished in the past few years, and all that can be achieved for us to grow to help children in this very special community,” said MFCF board member Joe Pappalardo. “We are working to create quality after-school programs to empower our children with the knowledge, the skills and the important lessons of character to enable them to get on a clear path to becoming confident and competent young boys and girls. An investment in MFCF is an investment in a child’s future, in their dreams and their aspirations.”
Fish, sidelined in recent years due to health issues, is scheduled to play in the upcoming BNP Paribas Open in Palm Springs, and now says, “I feel good; as healthy as I’ve been in a couple of years.”
Wife Stacey stayed in California with their current handful, Beckett, who just celebrated his first birthday. “It’s a lot of fun,” said Fish of fatherhood, noting that Beckett was given three sets of golf clubs for his birthday. It is a bit early for tennis though, said Fish adding with a smile, “Maybe in another year. He’s still a little small.”
