ANGUILLA TENNIS ACADEMY FUNDRAISING DRIVE GOES TO US NATIONAL TELEVISION

On Monday, November 24, the Anguilla Tennis Academy fund raising drive received unprecedented coverage in the US market when WLBT, the largest television station in Mississippi carried a live interview on the television show ‘Mid-day Mississippi’. The interview was done just after the noon day news, a period traditionally known to attain positive ratings. The interview was carried out with Mr. David Wilson, a tennis professional from Jackson, Mississippi, and long-time associate of the ATA President, Mr. Mitchell Lake, who revealed his intentions of participating in a 26.2 mile marathon on March 7, 2005/2006, in Napa, California, in an effort to raise money for the building campaign that the Tennis Academy is currently running.

During the course of the interview, which was broadcast to over 2 million homes in Mississippi, Arkansas, and Louisiana, Mr Wilson indicated how he had learned about the project about a year ago and had spoken with Mr Lake over the telephone about his goals and desires.

“Mitch really intrigued me with what he is trying to accomplish.” He said. “I applaud him for all of his efforts thus far, and strongly desire to be a part of the future with the Anguilla Tennis Academy.”

Mr Wilson went on to share with viewers how he came up with the idea of helping to raise the $150,000 that is still needed to complete the building campaign.

“In trying to come up with a good idea on how to raise money through fundraisers, I decided to run this marathon with the aspirations of getting private as well as corporate individuals to sponsor me on my run. I have already secured several thousand dollars in pledges here in Mississippi that will go directly into helping the children of Anguilla. It is my strong hope that the people of Anguilla will get behind my efforts in helping their island and their community. I would love for any and all Anguillians to sponsor my run. The dollars raised will go directly to improving the island by building this state-of-the-art tennis facility in Blowing Point. Mitch’s and my goal is to help the lives of children on Anguilla and throughout the Caribbean through the game of tennis.”

In addition to talking about the Tennis Academy, the interviewer also asked Mr Wilson questions pertaining to the Marathon, and at the end he even made a statement about how beautiful the island is and what a lovely tourist destination it would be. According to Mr Wilson, “I feel that this was a great step in making the public aware of what I am doing, and gives a good plug to the island of Anguilla along with the Tennis Academy. Mississippi is one of the largest tennis-playing states in the United States per capita. Being able to get my message across to these people was a huge step forward in achieving our goal of raising $150,000.

The Anguilla Tennis Academy is dedicated to providing high quality tennis instruction, tournament opportunities and a strong sense of community and healthy living to children of all ages from Anguilla, the region and beyond. It is hoped that the programs to be offered there will foster strong work ethics, educational opportunities and leadership training through involvement in the sport of tennis.