The USTA Florida 2022 Annual Meeting was held this past weekend. Tennis leaders and organizers from across the state gathered to celebrate the success the sport has seen over the past year. It turned out to be an extremely successful weekend for the USTA Florida Section Foundation.  

Phil Girardi and Dana Andrews joined together on stage during the concert.

Friday night, the USTA Florida Section Foundation welcomed The Exchange Band for a night of rocking out and raising money for a great cause. Led by USTA Florida Board President, Phil Girardi, the Exchange Band put on a memorable show.

Phil was extremely excited to get the band back together as it had been a few decades since they had last played together. “I was thrilled that the hurricane didn’t ruin any plans,” he said. “It was a long process to get all the guys here from around the country to play for our tennis leaders, and everything we are doing tonight is going to a great cause.” 

The Exchange Band rocked out the night raising over $17,000.

Before anyone took the stage, the USTA Florida Foundation had a goal to raise $5,000, with all proceeds going toward the foundation’s mission of changing lives through tennis. Throughout the night, people had the chance to donate money, which allowed them to pick songs for the band to play, sing on stage with The Exchange, and even get their hands on an exclusive T-Shirt. 

USTA Florida Foundation Donation Manager, Kelly Scalise was extremely happy with the turnout and said that the money will be put toward rebuilding tennis in Florida, after much of the state has been impacted due to the hurricane season. “Through the generosity of our Florida Tennis community, we have raised $8,727 which will be matched by the USTA Florida Section Foundation for a total of $17,454!” Scalise said. “All funds donated will directly fund relief grants to impact tennis facilities in Florida.” 

All proceeds will be going to the USTA Florida Hurricane Relief Fund.

The Hurricane Relief fund was launched at the start of November, as many cities across the state were heavily impacted by Hurricane Ian. With Hurricane Nicole coming through just last week, the USTA Florida Section Foundation is even more committed to restoring tennis in the state.  

If you were unable to attend the fundraiser concert and still wish to donate to the relief fund, visit USTAFloridaFoundation.com/HurricaneRelief. You can also listen to our Podcast with USTA Florida Executive Director, Laura Bowen, USTA Florida Section Foundation President Donn Davis, and former USTA Florida Board President Dana Andrews, as they explain the impact this hurricane season has had on the state of Florida.