Andy Roddick's Grand Slam Raises Funds For Youth In Cashiers, NC

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Aug 28, 2013, 01:00 ET

CASHIERS, N.C., Aug. 28, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Retired world No. 1 tennis champions, Andy Roddick and Jim Courier, hit the courts recently at the inaugural United Community Bank Mountain Challenge, benefitting Mountain Youth Charities.

Hosted by McKee Properties, Cashiers Area Chamber of Commerce and Cedar Creek Racquet Club, the event attracted over 1,500 spectators who saw Roddick carry the day with two sets, 6-4 each.

The event raised funds for a new non-profit organization, Mountain Youth Charities, targeting at-risk youth. "Nearly one-third of the children in southern Jackson County live below the poverty level and over 50-percent of students are at risk of not graduating from high school," according to William McKee, event chair. "These kids desperately need to have positive, inspiring programs and leadership."

"We were so pleased to see a packed house and support this worthy cause," said Lynn Harton, United Community Bank Chief Operating Officer. "The real winners today are the children of Western N.C. whose lives will be improved with this support."

Roddick remarked that Andre Agassi told him not to wait to start his foundation – so at the age of 17, Roddick began organizing events to benefit children. "This is an opportunity of a lifetime to effect change for the better and I feel lucky to have it," he said.

Roddick invited current US Davis Cup Captain Jim Courier to participate in the event, calling Courier "the most interesting tennis player in the world." Courier talked about the global nature of tennis and called it "a sport of a lifetime." He said he continues to mentor good junior players, identifying Roddick as one of the "best players out of his generation."

Kevin Moir and Ann Goldman, won the local tennis club Pro-Am Championship and the opportunity to face Roddick and Courier on the court while 12-year-old N.C. tennis player, Conner Stroud, who was born without hips or femurs, also volleyed with Roddick.

Ranked No. 1 in the world and a winner of the Grand Slam title, Roddick was named "Player of the Year" in 2003 by the Association of Tennis Professionals.

Courier was inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame in 2005 and now serves as a tennis analyst and founder of InsideOut Sports Entertainment, a NY-based event production company.

For more information on Mountain Youth Charities, contact Marcia Shawler, 972-571-5987 or [email protected].

SOURCE Cashiers Area Chamber of Commerce