Successful 15th Annual Rally Tennis for Cancer Care Fundraiser

The 15th annual Rally Tennis for Cancer Care fundraiser took place at the Frontenac Racquet Club on Saturday, August 24, 2019. The Rally Tennis for Cancer Care event works to assist cancer patients with their medical bills, and was founded by Bob Barczewski and Mark Platt.

Barczewski and Platt’s widely different career experiences makes them the perfect team to coordinate this fundraiser. Barczewski is the Business Manager for the Siteman Cancer Center while Platt is the founder of Beginners' World Tennis, a recreational organization that coordinates formal tennis leagues and lessons providing instruction to players of all ages.

In order for the fundraiser to be successful and grow each year, Platt’s mobile tennis academy students and staff handle the recruiting of volunteers to feed balls for the rally tennis games, while Beginner’s World Tennis provides the balls and rackets used during the event. Frontenac Racquet Club supports the cause by donating court time for the fundraiser. 

The event kicked off with approximately 17 teams of 8-10 tennis players each, with some teams there to compete at a high level and others there to simply have fun while supporting the cause. Teams were placed into divisions based on their level of competition and faced other teams within their division. The top three teams of each division were awarded 1st, 2nd or 3rd place based on their total wins during the event.

One hundred percent of the proceeds from the tournament goes to cancer patients for their illness-related medical expenses. As a result of their battles with cancer, some patients face serious financial difficulties. Rally Tennis for Cancer Care is instrumental in allowing patients to focus on their recovery without worrying about the mounting medical bills.

This year’s Rally Tennis for Cancer Care fundraiser attracted approximately 150 tennis players and raised approximately $70,000 for the Siteman Cancer Center of St. Louis. 

Barczewski and Platt look forward to growing the event each year. A main goal of theirs for 2020 is to attract 200 tennis players at the next annual Rally Tennis for Cancer Care.

“Maintaining steady progress in the number of participants is key to how much money is raised for the patient care fund each year,” Platt stated.

Over the last fifteen years, the Rally Tennis for Cancer Care has found great success. Barczewski and Platt are already planning for next year and looking forward to continuous growth with their fundraiser to further assist cancer patients with their medical bills.

For questions or to get involved with the event, contact Mark Platt at mark@saintlouistennis.com.