$8 million for local charities

Published June 20th, 2008

By Dale M. King
CITY EDITOR

Those who wait for the annual appearance of former President George H.W. Bush, comedians Chevy Chase and Jon Lovitz and all-around TV hosts Regis and Joy Philbin in charity games at the Delray Beach Tennis Center can mark the calendar for the next five years.

The Delray Beach City Commission Tuesday approved a contract with Chris Evert Charities Inc. that will keep the games that draw celebrities, professionals and wannabes, all in the name of charity, at the local tennis venue for at least the next five years.

For nearly 20 years, former tennis great Chris Evert has sponsored an annual Pro-Celebrity Tournament which, over years, has collected some $8 million for charities.

Assistant City Manager Robert Barcinski said the contract between Delray Beach and the Evert Charities expired Dec. 31, 2007.  The duration of that was three years.

Not only will the new contract keep the popular tennis tournament in Delray longer, but it will provide extra cash for the city and for the charities.  Otherwise, said Barcinski, the new contract is much like the old one.

Parking Revenue

The city makes out in the new pact because it can keep revenues from valet parking and parking in city-owned garages.

In the past, he said, the Evert Charities were required to pay a maximum of $20,000 to the Drug Abuse Foundation of Palm Beach County.  Evert’s charitable organization will now contribute 50 percent of the city’s total payment to the fund. The payment for 2008 is $43,600, with increases annually up to $49,000 in 2012.

The new pact notes, almost humorously, that Evert Charities do not have to use the city’s exclusive vendor for soft drinks.

Chris Evert retired in 1989, returned to her home in Florida and founded the Chris Evert Charities.

A month after her last match, she hosted the first Chris Evert Pro-Celebrity Tennis Classic. The tournament has been held each fall except in 1991, when Evert gave birth to the first of three sons with husband Andy Mill.

Eight Million

Since the games started, they have raised more than $8 million, including matching state funds, for various causes, according to the Foundation’s website.

Among those who frequent the annual court classic include tennis mavens Pam Shriver and Bud Collins, TV actress Kristy McNichol, the ex-president, Chase and Lovitz, two Saturday Night Live alumni.

The event, normally held in November, includes a black tie dinner at the Boca Raton Resort & Club and a day of tennis matching professionals with celebrity players.

Nearly all the money raised supports The Ounce of Prevention Fund of Florida, which sponsors substance-abuse programs statewide. Many are for pregnant women and mothers, offering shelter, treatment, parental education and job training and placement services.

Evert is also a member of the Ounce of Prevention's board of directors.

Dale M. King can be reached at 561-549-0832 or at dking@bocanews.com.