Volleyfest

by: Kristen Sapp

Because of Sheila Stevens, for the past seven years in the month of May, tennis courts have come alive with players clad in pink tennis attire in an effort to raise funds to support breast cancer care and prevention in our community.

Sheila had been devastated by the death of her mother from cancer. She was haunted by the thought that had the disease been detected earlier, her mother’s life might not have been cut short. She longed for a way to honor her mother’s life. Sheila also loves tennis, and is one of those people with a passion to make a difference.

As a result, seven years ago, she persuaded a group of 56 ladies to participate in a fund-raising tennis tournament at TPC Sugarloaf, with proceeds to benefit DeKalb Hospital’s breast cancer research fund.

That first tournament raised $22,000 and attracted area-wide interest. What started out as a small ladies tennis tournament in one neighborhood has now expanded to nine area clubs, with net proceeds to date of more than $800,000. The success of these efforts has also inspired a variety of other events such as SwingFest, a ladies fund-raising golf tournament held at Sugarloaf,
KidsFest, a youth tennis round robin at St. Ives, and RunFest, a 5K fun run/walk at the River Club. This year VolleyFest at Collins Hill Athletic Club included men in a mixed doubles weekend event.

Today, VolleyFest has the support of over 600 participants, 300 sponsors, and over 100 volunteers. What does Sheila think of this success? “With so many women and families impacted by breast cancer, it is easy to find passionate people to offer time, talents and dollars to fight this terrible disease,” she comments.

John Riddle, VP Marketing and Development for Gwinnett Medical states, “Quite simply, the women of our community would not have access to Digital Mammography and other enhanced services without the support of VolleyFest. They have contributed more than $775,000 since 2002 to the GMC Foundation, and because of their support many more women have been screened and treated for breast cancer. This group has a profound impact on the lives of so many women and their families.”

The VolleyFest vision for the future involves encouraging other clubs and neighborhoods in the Atlanta Metro Area to support the effort in the battle against breast cancer. Imagine the potential of hundreds of women coming together to raise awareness of breast cancer prevention while donating funds that benefit breast cancer patients in their local communities.

To learn more about VolleyFest, request information, volunteer or purchase volleywear, visit the website www.volleyfest.org. With the support of sponsors, volunteers, players, and friends, VolleyFest will continue to make a difference!