Successful fund-raiser to benefit junior tennis

Tony Bennett and Clint Holmes were among the notable dignitaries who attended "An Evening with Mike Agassi," a fund-raiser held on Feb. 21 at the Stirling Club located inside Turnberry Place to honor the father of tennis icon Andre Agassi and to raise money to help fund junior tennis in Southern Nevada.

The event raised over $200,000 for VegasTennis.com's Marty Hennessy Junior Tennis Foundation with an additional $150,000 of commitments for the future, according to Ryan Wolfington, who runs the Marty Hennessy Junior Tennis Foundation along with Hennessy.

"A large portion of the money raised will go towards the Nate Schulman Junior Scholarship and Mike Agassi's No Quit Championships, which is attempting to become a national tournament in 2006," Wolfington said.

The main sponsors were Winnie and Bob Schulman and Lois Battram, who presented a $30,000 check at the event as part of their $150,000 commitment to help fund junior tennis. Winnie Schulman also helped put on the fund-raiser along with Laurie Steed, Gerry Wendell, Peggy Donohue, Jacquelyn Rinaldi and Lois Battram

"It was a magical night," Winnie Schulman said. "We put 100 percent into it and everyone knew our hearts and then showed their's."

Dana Goyak also helped, putting together the event's decorations as well as the live and silent auctions.

The highest bid of the night of $27,000 came from Las Vegas investment manager Jeff Taylor and local real estate developer Helen and Chip Johnson, who both won a trip to China.

Bennett brought a highlight to the memorable evening when he said, "I have met the greatest royalty and presidents, but my favorite guy in the whole world is Marty Hennessy."

Hennessy explained why he established the foundation and its scholarships.

"I was one of these kids growing up," he said. "We were not poor but I cannot remember going out to dinner once as a kid. We could not afford it. Both my parents worked and at the end of the week we had just enough to get by. When I had to go to tournaments our tennis club had to raise money from each member."

Hennessy would go on to receive a college scholarship from Brigham Young University and eventually became a professional player. He was a six-time United States Professional Tennis Association national champion, and, as Mike Agassi put it, "(He) was the only pro in town that could take sets from Pancho Gonzalez."

Hennessy and Wolfington started the foundation to help local kids.

"I have been in tennis for 30 years and I can guarantee the town has never been moving (in terms of tennis progress) like it has with Ryan Wolfington," Hennessy said.

Also honored at the event was Larry Brown, the Las Vegas city councilman who helped develop the city's new 23-court tennis center; Lynette Boggs-McDonald, the county commissioner who supported it; Fred Darling, who made a $1 million donation to make the center possible; Sandy Foley and the Nevada Tennis Association for helping coordinate the project; and Dr. Barbara Jackson, who helped put the facility management structure together.

Awards also were given out to Barry Levinson Law Offices, Kurt Swauger's T-Mobile, Jaldeep Daulat of Las Vegas Skin and Cancer Clinics, the An family's Crustacean restaurant, Lee and Jim Medick, Lily Chu, Stacy Goldworn, Welch Tennis Courts, and Vic Braden Tennis College for advancing and aiding tennis in Las Vegas during 2004.

Another highlight of the evening was the amount of money raised from a simple $25 Applebee's gift card by 17-year-old Durango High School senior Frideric Prandecki, one of the scholarship recipients.

"We asked him if he would be part of helping the fund-raiser. He went out and got five gift certificates from restaurants," Wolfington said. "One was a $25 Applebee's gift card. And people were so moved by his efforts that it went for $1,700."

Wolfington said the mission of the foundation is all about helping kids like Prandecki, who moved back to Las Vegas from Poland two years ago.

"He's like the perfect example of the success of the foundation," Wolfington said. "He helps out at the foundation almost daily then trains. The scholarship was created for kids like this that have talent but don't have the money to get the national ranking by traveling and training.

"More than tennis, the kids discover the amazing satisfaction that comes from a hard days work and earning what you get. That is why we have a work element built into the scholarship. They deserve this recognition."