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Actor Kevin Spacey, USTA Serves President Mary Carillo, USTA Serves Executive Director Dan Faber and Bpard member Sean Mayo attend the 2013 Opening Night Gala.
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On the evening of August 26, USTA Serves hosted its 13th Annual Opening Night Gala in the President’s Suite at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center to rave reviews. An extraordinary financial success, the gala’s revenues surpassed the $650,000 mark for the first time.
The Opening Night Gala is the major fundraiser for the important work of USTA Serves, where guests are treated to fine dining in the President’s Suite followed by courtside viewing of the Opening Night ceremonies and exciting tennis. It is an unforgettable experience that showcases the USTA, the US Open and USTA Serves in grand style.
The evening honored Billie Jean King for her outstanding legacy and trailblazing accomplishments, as well as Bob and Mike Bryan for recently becoming the most successful doubles team in tennis history. Celebrity auctioneer and two-time Oscar winner Kevin Spacey turned the live auction into an entertaining performance. The guests were in great spirits and bid generously on a variety of sports, fashion and entertainment packages. Other notable guests in attendance were tennis legend Jim Courier, fashion icon and editor Anna Wintour and Robin Roberts, the host of "Good Morning America."
One of the highlights of the evening was our student speaker from the Harlem Junior Tennis and Education Program, Destiny Steward-Bowden, who spoke about the positive impact the program has had on her life. After her inspirational speech, Kevin Spacey commented, "I know we will be seeing a lot more of Destiny, as she has a very bright future."
Always striving to provide our nation’s youth with a brighter future, USTA Serves President Mary Carillo and Executive Director Dan Faber spoke about the ways in which USTA Serves is changing and enhancing lives through the integration of tennis and education programs. The tremendous success of the evening allows USTA Serves to continue to help build better and more successful lifetimes for many, as the proceeds from this event will support countless programs throughout the country that utilize the powerful combination of tennis and education.
For information on our 2014 Opening Night Gala, please contact us at 914-696-7223.