Giving Back Through Tennis

At 14, Anna Katz moved from Philadelphia to Florida to further pursue her passion of playing tennis.
 

While training one day last year, Katz learned about a 2-year-old boy named Robert, who was born with Proximal Femoral Focal Deficiency, meaning he was born without a femur. Robert was traveling all over the world to find answers and seek treatment.
 

The expense of travel, plus surgery, tallied more than $100,000.
 

So Katz, who was introduced to tennis at 8 at Legacy Youth Tennis and Education, decided that she was going to do something about it.
 

Katz set a goal to organize a tennis fundraiser for Robert, spreading the word and building awareness of the condition.
 

As she began organizing the event, Katz contacted 93.5FM The Revolution, a popular South Floridal radio station, and was invited to come onto one of the station’s shows. 

“I told Robert’s story to thousands of people over the radio, and got the word out about the fundraising event that we were putting on,” she said.

Katz wanted to build even more attention around the fundraiser. She spent a day walking through her local mall, explaining her mission to store managers. Through her work, Katz secured 15 sponsors to donate items for raffles at the event.

“I was actually surprised how many stores were willing to help out,” she said. “It really made me happy to see the positive response we were getting about the event.”
 

Katz also secured a DJ, Magician, and Zumba & Fitness Instructor to donate their time to entertain the crowd.

The event took place on March 12 and raised more than $8,000. Since then, the GoFundMe page passed the $10,000 mark.
 

Robert had his first surgery last November and his family is still continuing to raise money for a second surgery in the future. While the financial burden will still be large, it will be a bit easier with Katz on their side. 
 

“I know Robert’s family is very grateful for the money that we were able to raise but it is my hope that people continue to donate to ensure Robert’s chances of getting on his feet one day,” she said.
 

If you’re interested in donating to help this cause, visit Robert’s GOFUNDME page.