FOR
IMMEDIATE RELEASE
NEWS RELEASE
WASHINGTON, DC JANUARY 29, 1998: Joel Arneson, President of the Capital Tennis Association (CTA) and Anthony Aoude, Co-Director of CTA's Capital Classic V Tennis Tournament presented Food & Friends Executive Director Craig Shniderman with a check for $2600.00 at Food & Friends offices in Washington, DC.
"Food & Friends is honored to have the support of the Capital Tennis Association. This generous gift will provide many of our clients with the nutrients and strength they need to fight the affects of HIV disease," said Craig Shniderman, Executive Director of Food & Friends. "Our clients are fortunate to have the support of community-minded groups like the Capital Tennis Association and their members who participated in the Capital Classic tournament. It is the volunteer and financial help of this and other organizations and individuals that keep Food & Friends going - without this help we would not be able to provide nutritious meals to those who need our basic care."
Food & Friends newest program, "Groceries to Go" was implemented in 1996 to home-deliver three bags of groceries and five frozen entrees each week to clients who live beyond Food & Friends current metropolitan delivery area.
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CTA has sponsored a tournament each September in Washington since 1993.
Joel Arneson, CTA's President, stated that "CTA sponsors the yearly tournament so that gays and lesbians can play competitive tennis, and meet other gays and lesbians from across the country who share their interest in tennis."
Anthony Aoude, a co-director of the tournament said, "I am proud to have been involved with this tournament. The CTA members volunteered many hours of their time to ensure that the tournament was a success. Though the overall purpose isn't to generate a donation, we are happy that when we close the books, we have some money left over to make a charitable donation. Not only did we have a record number of players (167 from all over the US, Canada and Europe), but we also generated the largest donation to Food & Friends in the tournament's five-year history! The success of this tournament is due to the leadership of the co-Director Andy Wingstrom, the support of our members and the generosity of our commercial sponsors. We're very happy that we are able to help out Food & Friends, because we are in turn helping out our very own gay & Lesbian community in Washington."
The Capital Tennis Association is currently planning the next tournament Capital Classic VI. For information about how to play in the tournament or if you are interested in commercial sponsorship of the tournament, please contact Anthony Aoude at 703/526-7821. If you would like more information about joining CTA, please contact Joel Arneson at 703/751-4741.
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Food & Friends, founded in 1988, is a volunteer based organization that provides freshly-prepared meal, nutritional assessments and counseling, education and home-delivered groceries at no cost to those homebound due to HIV infection or AIDS. More than 700 active volunteers donate their time to 17 weekly kitchen shifts, 75 daily delivery routes, and 140 weekly grocery deliveries. Food & Friends provides care to individuals living within a 5,600 square mile area. As of November 30, 1997, Food & Friends has provided $1,705,667 meals and 7,224 bags of groceries to 4,403 individuals. Volunteers and financial contributions are necessary to continued growth and expansion. Food & Friends is located at 58 L Street, SE. You can contact Food & Friends at 202/863-1824 or visit their website at http://www.foodandfriends.org.
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Capital Tennis Association, provides tennis for the
gay and lesbian community and an opportunity for gays and lesbians to compete
and socialize in an atmosphere of good sportsmanship. Visit our website
at http://members.aol.com/~JimJoel307/index.html.