City Parks Foundation Hosts 23rd Annual CityParks Tennis Benefit At The 2021 US Open Tennis Championships

City Parks Foundation, the only independent nonprofit to offer programs in public parks in the five boroughs, will hold its 23rd Annual CityParks Tennis Benefit at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center on Tuesday, August 31.

Co-Chaired by Billie Jean King and John McEnroe, the event raises funds for CityParks Tennis, which provides free tennis instruction for thousands of kids ages 6-17 in New York City parks throughout the five boroughs. This year, CityParks Tennis will honor Ilana Kloss and Keith Kambourian with the Vitas Gerulaitis Community Service Award.

Ilana Kloss is a former world No. 1 doubles player and US Open doubles champion, a member of both the National and International Jewish Sports Hall of Fame and was named Sports Businesswoman of the Year by the Warsaw Sports Marketing Center in 2007. She is also the CEO of Billie Jean King Enterprises and co-founder of the Billie Jean King Leadership Initiative, where she oversees corporate partnerships, strategic programs, and philanthropic efforts that support Billie Jean King's legacy. Ilana is a member of the ownership group of the Los Angeles Dodgers, Los Angeles Sparks and Angel City FC. She is a founding board member and continues to serve on the executive board of the Elton John AIDS Foundation. Ilana is actively involved in the Women's Sports Foundation as a member of the executive board and past WSF board chair. From 2001-2018, Ilana was the CEO and Commissioner of World TeamTennis, managing both the professional sports league and nationwide grassroots recreational programs. Ilana is an ardent supporter of CityParks Tennis and has supported and attended CPF's tennis benefit since its inception in 1998. She is a resident New Yorker and enjoys playing at the public courts in Central Park.

Keith Kambourian is a two-time USTA Long Island Professional of the Year and has been one of New York's most successful junior coaches for three decades. He was ranked in the top 30 nationally in the Boys 18s and received a full scholarship to Duke University, where he was the No.1 player and Captain during his senior year. For 25 years he was co-owner / director of the Bethpage Tennis Center on Long Island, where he helped develop hundreds of nationally ranked players, including several junior Wimbledon competitors. He is a past recipient of the George Seewagen Award, given to a USTA Eastern teaching pro who exemplifies excellence in competition, sportsmanship and love of the game.

Keith has been involved with CityParks Lacoste Junior Tennis Academy since 2002 as a volunteer, patron, advisor and most recently, as the Program Director.

CityParks Tennis will recognize Dominique Echevarre with the 2021 Billie Jean King Junior Achievement Award. A participant of CityParks Tennis for the past 5 years, Dominique has made significant progress both on and off the court, and City Parks Foundation is proud to recognize her as the recipient of the 2021 Billie Jean King Junior Achievement Award. Dominique first developed a love for tennis at age 7, and as a teenager she qualified for CPF's annual BNP Paribas Aces tournament and Lacoste Junior Academy, a scholarship training program for talented NYC juniors based on financial need. Dominique subsequently made her high school tennis team all 4 years and won her league championship in her senior year. This past year she participated in CPF's sports internship program which led to a summer job coaching CityParks Tennis beginners.

Off the court, Dominique studies art, piano, singing, kickboxing, and jiu-jitsu. Applying the same discipline and dedication to her academic career as she does to tennis, Dominique was accepted into a nursing program which she will begin this fall. For more information and to purchase tickets to the benefit event, please visit cityparksfoundation.org/events/tennis-benefit. All ticket purchases include entry to the benefit reception and evening matches in Arthur Ashe Stadium.