This year marked the 23rd anniversary of the SenioRITAs Tennis Tournament at Sawgrass Country Club. The all-volunteer team effort ensures that 100% of the SenioRITAs’ proceeds go directly to fighting breast cancer through research and patient services. To date the group has raised $2.25 million, not including this year's funds, which are still being calculated.
This amount goes directly to Mayo Clinic, Baptist Medical Center Beaches, the Buddy Bus Mobile Mammagraphy Unit and DigniCap at MD Anderson.
The tournament was once again chaired by the dedicated leadership of Karen Aaro and Chuck Jantz, director of the RITA foundation.
The first event held was a kickoff party at Pusser's on Tuesday, Oct. 4.
It was well attended, and the drinks and food were provided by Pusser's.
The big fundraiser was the auction party held at Sawgrass Country Club on Monday, Oct. 10. The theme of the event was Hawaii. The food followed the theme.
John Wagener, the auctioneer, kept everything hopping, getting top dollar for special golf packages and many memorabilia.
The weekend, Oct. 14-16, brought in several players to vie for the top prizes. They were offered breakfast and a welcome cheer. For lunch, the players were offered food under the tent. Firehouse Subs, Carrabba's and Winn-Dixie supplied the meals. There were tennis matches galore to watch and to cheer on.
