VIPS Tennis Ball & Tournament Wins
USTA Southern 2016
Special Tennis Event of the Year
The Visually Impaired Preschool Services (“VIPS”) Tennis Tournament & Ball in Louisville, Kentucky is a first-class weekend. The event has sold out for the last five years, with annually more than 40 tennis teams participating and over 200 people attending the “Ball”. Jay Hatcher, event chair, said, “It’s all about raising money for the kids, as VIPS sets the gold standard on a global level in the field of educating visually-impaired babies and toddlers”. VIPS empowers families by providing educational excellence to young children with visual impairments, helping them to build a strong foundation for reaching their highest potential. The preschool is the premier facility of its kind, with people traveling from all over the world to take advantage of the services offered.
The VIPS Tennis Tournament began in 2005 as a one-day fundraiser in conjunction with the annual VIPS Golf Tournament. At that time, the teams mainly consisted of spouses of the the golf tournament participants. The event had no corporate sponsors, and raised only a few thousand dollars. After Hatcher took over, the event moved to the Louisville Boat Club. The number of teams that participate in the VIPS Tennis Tournament has grown 345 percent; the quality and depth of the event have improved dramatically with NCAA All Americans and tour players participating; and the Tennis Ball, which consists of a semi-formal dinner, a dance, and a live and silent auction, was added. The entry fee for the tournament provides for lunch, a player gift bag including a pair of top-of-the-line Prince Tennis shoes, a cocktail party including an open bar, and hors d’oeuvres that are served during the Division Finals. In 2011 the event won the USTA Kentucky award as Charity Event of the Year.