The Celebrity Tennis Classic & Bocce Ball Tournament has been raising funds for Cardiac Care at the Kelowna General Hospital for eleven years. The event is hosted by Walley & Marietta Lightbody and is a fun-filled weekend of tennis for all levels of players (or bocce ball for those less coordinated) and a fantastic fundraising dinner.
The Tennis Tournament is a great community event that everyone can get involved with and has contributed over $600,000 for Cardiology since its inception. Life-saving medical equipment including pediatric cardiac/respiratory monitors, defibrillators, pacemakers, bedside monitors and cardiac ultrasounds has been purchased from previous years’ proceeds.
This year we are targeting a Neo–Natal Cardiac Monitor which allows the staff to watch without disturbing the infant. The monitor tells when the heart rate is stable and the infant is getting enough oxygen and is breathing correctly. In addition the Ward requires one or more Event Monitors. This is a new procedure for KGH. It is put on the chest of a child with unknown heart issues and it tells you what is going on. This will save great time and expense as the infant currently has to go to Children`s Hospital in Vancouver for this procedure.
This year we are delighted to have chosen Joachim Nierfeld as our honouree, an individual with an intense passion for tennis and who continues to do great things for the game.
Joachim was born in Essen, Germany and started to play tennis at the age of 12. After achieving terrific success while competing across Europe before moving to Canada where he has captured a variety of provincial and national tennis titles in both singles and doubles play.
Over the years Joachim has also had the opportunity to share his love for the game through his coaching activities. As Head Pro at Global Fitness Center, he has developed a very impressive high-performance junior tennis program. Joachim has also held several tennis leadership roles with fine efforts to develop the game including positions with Tennis BC and presently as the regional director for the Okanagan. He is also tournament director of the popular Kelowna Futures tournament.
As a player, coach and leader, Joachim has truly made his mark on the game of tennis in Kelowna. We feel very fortunate to have him as part of our tennis community and we’re very proud to have him as our honouree for 2013 at our special fundraising event.
Tennis Tournament
Save the Date! The 12th Annual Celebrity Tennis Classic & Bocce Ball Tournament will be September 13-15th, 2013. Friday evening will feature a wine & cheese reception, opening ceremonies and celebrity tennis matches. Saturday is jam-packed with round robin play followed by a gala dinner with silent auction. Register now!
- Full Story
- Image
