The 2017 US Open is only two days away from beginning, so Manhattan and its surrounding areas have been infiltrated with some of the top tennis stars from around the world who are making all the stops to win the big tournament. One particular event that collided with all that is going on took place this past Wednesday night, where AKTIV Against Cancer hosted a fantastic fundraising event that featured tennis superstar James Blake and a myriad of other fantastic personalities who were there for one goal: to help put an end to cancer.
The event took place inside Grand Central Station at the Vanderbilt Tennis Club (I had no idea this place existed until Wednesday). Alongside James, there were several other local celebrities that came out for the exciting event, including SNY sportscaster Michelle Yu and CEO of Flywheel Sports Sarah Robb O’Hagan. The lovely and spirited Tina Cervasio played host and emcee for the night.
The importance of cancer treatment and ending this horrible disease does not fall short on James or anyone else. “Cancer has impacted my life personally which is why I created the James Blake Foundation. It was an honor for me to support and take part in AKTIV Against Cancer’s pro-am alongside Sarah Robb O’Hagan, Michelle Yu and Tina Cervasio to raise awareness for this important cause,” said James Blake.
“AKTIV Against Cancer is thrilled to broaden our reach through the sport of tennis. We are happy to experience such profound mutual interest in fighting cancer by including physical activity as part of treatment. I want to thank James Blake, Sarah Robb O’Hagan, Tina Cervasio and Michelle Yu for everything as they are amazing ambassadors for our cause and all the supporters who came out and cheered them on,” said Helle Aanesen, Global Managing Director, AKTIV Against Cancer.
The event showed Michelle, James and Sarah playing doubles with one of the professionals from the Vanderbilt Tennis Club. James and the pros did an insanely amazing job, yet Michelle and Sarah definitely held their own against the two guys. One of the funniest moments of the night was when Sarah accidentally hit her ball on James’ back when she was trying to get it across the net, which left James stunned (a little hurt too), but laughed it off and it made for a great moment. Overall, everyone was in good spirits and had a wonderful night for a great cause.
AKTIV against Cancer is a 501(c)(3) that supports various research projects to study the preventive effect of physical activity on cancer. AKTIV is currently funding two research projects at New York’s Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center. For more information on AKTIV Against Cancer, please check out their official website.