Student to Build School

High School Varsity Tennis Champion
Swings to Spread Love of Literacy

	Proceeds from last year’s tournament built a two-room house with sanitation and clean water for a destitute family in Kingston, Jamaica.
Related Item: Support the Tournament

COCONUT CREEK, Fla. (July 22, 2014) – Crack open a can of new tennis balls, and practice your serve in preparation for The Adult/Child Doubles Charity Tournament II on Saturday, Sept. 20, from 1 to 4:30 p.m. at LaFortune Park Tennis Center, 5302 South Hudson Avenue, Tulsa, Oklahoma. Parents and children are encouraged to register and raise money to build a school in Honduras with the nonprofit Food For The Poor.

“Education is a doorway to a multitude of opportunities,” said Cheryl Kalapura, a member of Holland Hall High School’s varsity tennis team. “Education is a skill that can never be taken away from a person; it is truly life-changing to be able to learn and have knowledge.” 

Register online at www.FoodForThePoor.org/tennis through Saturday, Sept. 15, to compete in the second annual tennis tournament. The registration fee is $25 per team. Awards will be given to the first- and second-place teams in both the intermediate and advanced divisions. For more information, please email fftptennis@gmail.com.

“The gift of literacy can help children advance in their life and make the right decisions for their families,” said Cheryl, a high school junior. “My parents have given me the gift of an education that has changed my life. I want to give that gift to children whose parents don't have the ability to give them an education.”

Proceeds from last year’s tournament built a two-room house with sanitation and clean water for a destitute family in Kingston, Jamaica. The family also received rice and beans for a year, a small business project to help provide an income, clothing and shoes, and school supplies for two children, including books and uniforms.

Cheryl was inspired to organize the 2013 tennis tournament and to partner with Food For The Poor after she heard Father Paul Wilderotter speak about the nonprofit at Saint Bernard’s Catholic Church. Cheryl’s parents encouraged her to use her talents to assist the poor.

“Cheryl’s drive is inspirational,” said Angel Aloma, Food For The Poor’s Executive Director. “After hearing about the needs of the destitute, Cheryl immediately stood up to take action on behalf of the less fortunate. I encourage her to continue to openly share her passion for the cause with others as she starts to fundraise to build a school in Honduras.”

“It is important to help the less fortunate because it keeps us grounded,” said Cheryl, who aspires to start her own charity. “It helps us be more like how Jesus wanted us to be: kind and caring to the poor. Helping those in need gives us the ability to realize what God wants us to do; it helps us realize who we are and how we can change someone's life.”

To support Cheryl’s philanthropic initiative, please make checks payable to Food For The Poor and include the special source code "SC# 099959" to accurately route your donation.

Food For The Poor, named by The Chronicle of Philanthropy as the largest international relief and development organization in the nation, does much more than feed millions of the hungry poor in 17 countries of the Caribbean and Latin America. This interdenominational Christian ministry provides emergency relief assistance, clean water, medicines, educational materials, homes, support for orphans and the aged, skills training and micro-enterprise development assistance, with more than 95 percent of all donations going directly to programs that help the poor. For more information, please visit www.FoodForThePoor.org.