HighFIVE: Eileen Pero

In less than a month, the Colorado Tennis Championships will kick off at Colorado Athletic Clubs Inverness and Monaco. As the oldest and largest tournament in Colorado, it, along with the Denver City Open and Boulder Open, makes up the three “majors” in the state. Players look forward to it every year and one of the keys behind its success is Eileen Pero. 

Eileen’s primary role this year has been in promoting the event and getting sponsors. But she is also involved in organizing volunteers, the player party, selecting prizes and coordinating player goodie bags. This level of commitment to ensuring tennis stays strong in Colorado is typical of Eileen.

For more than 20 years, Eileen has been an invaluable volunteer with USTA Colorado and the Colorado Youth Tennis Foundation (CYTF). She was an original member of the “revitalized” CYTF Board of Trustees in 1999, when the Foundation was reformed after 10 years of relative inactivity. She worked to help energize the organization and develop the CYTF’s working structure designed to raise money to provide tennis opportunities to kids in need across Colorado. 

Lisa Schaefer, Associate Executive Director of the CYTF says “Simply put, Eileen is passionate about making sure that kids have access to tennis. She’s always looking at how she can best use her gifts and talents to make a difference.”

Eileen’s interest in tennis started when she was eight years old when watched her father play at a local park in her native New York. 

“I watched him serve with both hands going in different directions and vowed to learn how to play. I was in awe of him!” 

She starting playing in leagues shortly after moving to Colorado in the early 1980s. 

“I’ve captained every league at one time or another. I’ve been to sectionals, but never made nationals!” says Eileen. She’s especially proud to have won mixed doubles titles at the Denver City Open (four times!) and the Colorado State Open.

Her off-court accomplishments are just as impressive. In addition to learning to weld and participate in five triathlons, Eileen is a USPTA professional. She was involved in running the Denver City Open in 2005-2006 and the Colorado State Open from 2016-2019, during which time it was the largest tournament in the country. She has been a committee member, board member and past president of the CYTF. She has worked on numerous programs and events for the CYTF but says her personal favorite was always the Punk Relic Charity Doubles Tournament.  

Eileen created, and still spearheads, a Pro-Am Tournament with all funds being donated to the CYTF. 

Eileen says “It’s been a wonderful experience. It’s a simple format – amateurs bid on the pros, and the highest bidder plays in the round robin event. The way the community of tennis pros comes together, donating their time after working all day, has been a blessing.” 

The event has raised thousands of dollars for the CYTF and is excited to celebrate its 10^th annual event on October 22, 2022, at Colorado Athletic Club Monaco. With all of this, it’s no surprise that Eileen has also been the awarded the USTA Colorado Jody Riser Knudsen Volunteer of the Year Award. 

“We are so lucky and grateful for the longtime commitment to the CYTF and the kids we serve,” says Schaefer. 

MidFirst Bank is one of the largest privately owned banks and this combination of size and private ownership provides our customers with a special brand of banking. We are a strong supporter of the communities we serve, investing time and money in important educational, charitable and civic organizations. Our volunteerism is powered by our employees from all of the communities in which we live and share with our customers. MidFirst Bank is a proud partner of USTA Colorado.