Fundraisers bring in an important part of the budget for Court Appointed Special Advocates, but Gail Shearer said watching the community come out to support the group is what really excites her.
Shearer was at the fifth annual CASA VIVA Tennis Tournament, played at the Buccaneer Resort this week, one of four annual major fundraisers for the group she is executive director of. The scene Saturday afternoon at the Buccaneer tennis court complex indicated strong community support, with players on all eight courts during much of the afternoon and the deck around the pro shop crowded with spectators, despite heavy rains that came and went a week.
Matches were squeezed in between rain drops on Wednesday and Thursday, but all the matches on Friday and Saturday morning had to be postponed. Also, participation was down to only 62. In previous years the number of participants ran between 90 and a hundred.
At the awards ceremony Sunday night, Shearer gave special thanks to Buccaneer Tennis Pro Don deWilde for rescheduling and rescheduling matches and still making the tournament finish in time for the awards ceremony to be held at the Mermaid restaurant on time.
She also commended the tennis players.
“If it wasn’t for the tennis players there would be no CASA tennis tournament,” she said, adding that, though she knew little about tennis, “I heard the matches were really good.”
Most of her praise went to Magda Finch, who has been chairing the committee for the fundraiser for the last five years. She said about Finch’s dedication to CASA, “She knows how important strong families are and how far a little help can go.”
CASA trains volunteers to advocate for children. The advocates speak up in court to ensure that children who have been traumatized by abuse and neglect, often removed from their family, will have their needs addressed and receive the services necessary to restore their basic needs.
The winners recognized at the award ceremony were:
Mixed A Doubles: Top-seeded Susan Armstrong and Christian Nelthropp defeated Karen Heckman and Kevin Motta 6-0, 7-5.
Mixed B Doubles: Top seeded Sue Gibbons and Michael Armendariz survived a three set final to defeat Ashley Lawrence and Christoph Wilson 6-2, 4-6, 6-1.
Women’s A Doubles: Susan Armstrong and Erika Scott defeated Karen Heckman and Judy Mackenzie 6-3, 7-5. Armstrong won two events.
Women’s B Doubles: The unseeded team of Aimee Bellmore and Xaulanda Simmonds defeated Barbara Robbins and Norma Cruz 7-5, 6-0.
Men’s A Doubles: Kevin Motta and Christian Nelthropp defeated Don deWilde and Kris Elien 7-5, 6-4. This was Nelthropp’s second title of the day.
Men’s B Doubles: Joel Mahepath and Mel Adams defeated Al Baptiste and Caleb Phelps 6-4, 6-2.
