Ace the Stigma brings the Charlotte tennis community together, raises awareness about mental health

The original idea was a small tournament just for Reiney’s friends where everyone chipped in a little bit of money to donate to a mental health charity, but shortly after his friends invited Reiney’s siblings to participate, including his older brother Mike Reiney, their little way of honoring Chuck’s memory became so much bigger.

A little over a year later, on the first weekend of May, more than 100 people took to the courts of Olde Providence Racquet Club to raise money for local mental health-focused organizations. 

“We were all surprised, but a large group of us felt compelled to really try to do something about it and try to prevent something like this from happening again,” said Tim Kullick, one of Chuck Reiney’s friends. “If it happened to Chuck, it could happen to anybody, because he was the most optimistic, positive person that you'd ever meet. You would never guess that he was wrestling with anything, even though I hit with him weekly for a decade.”

“It was a wonderful tribute to him, to have this event. I was definitely moved, but not surprised by how many people participated and how much support there was,” Kullick said. “I think it's a testament to how much of an impact Chuck had on the tennis community and the club and just how many other people have been impacted by mental illness, you know, in their immediate family or friend group. We were blown away by the level of participation and support from the community for this event.”

And it wasn’t only about tennis, although the tournament portion was the main event. As his brother said, Chuck Reiney often talked about the fun he had off the court during tournaments, so it was important to bring the community together in a multitude of ways. The four-day bonanza kicked off on Thursday night with a speaker event with the president of a local suicide prevention organization, who informed about 75 attendees about the importance of taking care of mental health, and how to spot warning signs in loved ones. Friday night brought a wine tasting sponsored by a friend and his family’s winery, and there was a silent auction on Saturday night.

Another one of Chuck Reiney’s friends who helped organize the nonprofit and the tournament, Ashley Shaw, was amazed by the number of people who came out to support the event and honor his friend’s memory.

“It was really cool just to see the amount of people that cared for Chuck because none of these guys had to play this tournament. They took a weekend out of their busy lives to come and enjoy this tournament, have fun, and it turned out to be a super big success. [It was] the biggest open division I've ever seen in my life, it was like a national tournament,” he said. “It meant a whole lot to me.”

The event was such a success that Ace the Stigma is planning to have another tournament at Olde Providence next spring and is considering adding an event in Jacksonville, Fla., where the Reiney family is from.