Bahamian touring pro Mark Knowles is pleased to announce that the annual Mark Knowles Celebrity Tennis Invitational will be held on December 1-4, 2011 at the Atlantis Resort & Casino by Presenting Sponsor, MDC-Partners, and organized by the Mark Knowles Management Group (MKMG).
This year's featured players are Andy Roddick, Xavier Malisse, and Sabine Lisicki with some additional stars to be announced at a later date. The organizers plan to hold a pro/am doubles tournament for platinum sponsors, a pro exhibition and an opportunity for top Bahamian junior tennis players to interact with the visiting professionals.
The Mark Knowles Celebrity Invitational was established in 2001, its mission to raise funds supporting a range of local children's charities on the islands. Past beneficiaries have included The Sassoon Pediatric Heart Foundation, The Cancer Society, The Association of the Physically Disabled, The Children's Emergency Hospital, The Boy Scouts of The Bahamas, Special Olympics Bahamas and scholarships for promising junior tennis players.
Through the generous support of sponsors, fellow tennis players and of course, the fans, proceeds have saved lives and provided important opportunities for a number of individuals. The year 2010 marked the 10th anniversary of the event and pushed total contributions to over $650,000. Proceeds enabled Knowles to endow a local hospital with its first children's heart defibrillator. In the past, child cardiac arrest patients had to rely on the usage of an adult defibrillator. Previous projects have included emergency heart surgery for a baby girl, 12 days in age; the remodeling of cancer recovery rooms; and funding for a Special Olympics tennis player, who recently won a medal at the World Games.
A testament to Knowles' popularity with his peers on tour is seen through the quality of player participants who have taken part throughout the past decade. Andy Murray overcame heavy snowstorms last year to attend, giving the banner-year event a current Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) star - and his efforts were very much appreciated by all involved. Prior guests have included Andre Agassi, Bob and Mike Bryan, Jennifer Capriati, Jim Courier and Fred Stolle.
Knowles' dedication to philanthropy, his generosity and effort is also discerned by the appreciation of aid recipients. Donations to The Bahamas Cancer Caring Centre have been so considerable that the facility honored his work by creating, 'The Mark Knowles Room.' This event has had a great run in its first 10 years, and promises to be a fixture for many more during the player-charity-season of the tennis calendar. While his professional tennis career will eventually close, Knowles' unconditional support for children in need and passion to promote his sport in his native Bahamas will never cease.
MDC-Partners return as the Presenting Sponsor for the second consecutive year with its slogan, 'Where Great Talent Lives', being most appropriate. They join the prestigious list of sponsors, many of whom have been supporting the event since its inception, including Atlantis Resort & Casino; The Bahamas Ministry of Tourism; Pictet Bank & Trust; Lombard Odier Darier Hentsch Private Bank & Trust; American Airlines; Odyssey Aviation; Everkey Global Fund; Templeton Global Advisors; H3O; Everkey Global Fund; H.G. Christie; The Ministry of Youth, Sports & Culture; Serenity Point, Abaco; The Balmoral; and The Bank of The Bahamas.
There are a few sponsorship opportunities still available and interested parties should contact Vicky Andrews at vickyk@batelnet.bs or cell number (242) 357-9670.
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