Safe Harbor Chosen for Sweet Caroline Open…
Sportsclub Fitness and Wellness in cooperation with the Ladies’ Pro Racquetball Tour, and the South Carolina Racquetball Players’ Association will again host the Sweet Caroline Open racquetball tournament for professionals and amateurs in 2020. The top-25 lady pro racquetball players in the world and over 100 amateurs from across the Southeast will descend upon Sportsclub for a 3-day tournament on January 24-26, 2020.
Each year the tournament identifies a charity or organization with a worthy cause and gives back to that organization through the generosity of the tournament’s sponsors. Over the last three years the tournament has provided funds or equipment valued at $70,000+ to worthy organizations in the Upstate of South Carolina.
- In 2017, South Carolina Ovarian Cancer Foundation received over $20,000 for ovarian cancer research.
- In 2018, 45 AEDs were provided to the Greenville County Sheriff, City of Simpsonville Police, City of Spartanburg Police, and City of Mauldin Police for use in their patrol cars as well as the City of Greenville Police Department for use in their buildings.
- In 2019, over $12,000 was raised for SWITCH and their battle against human trafficking.
This year’s charitable focus will be battling domestic violence by supporting Safe Harbor. Safe Harbor is a non-profit organization dedicated to helping victims of domestic violence in the Upstate of South Carolina. Safe Harbor offers a number of services to the community including providing safe emergency shelters, counseling, assistance with orders of protection, and transitional housing, as well as teen dating violence education and community outreach in Greenville, Pickens, Anderson and Oconee counties.
Becky Callaham, Executive Director of Safe Harbor, states, “We are excited to be part the Sweet Caroline Open. The funds raised as a result of this tournament will be very beneficial in our efforts to help the victims of domestic violence. We are also please to be able to shine a light on the epidemic of domestic violence on an international level.”
Safe Harbor has approximately 40 full-time staff, 20 part-time staff and over 300 volunteers, including a board of directors. Safe Harbor works to impact the lives of victims of domestic violence and their children by providing them with safety and resources, helping them to heal, and giving them the support, they need to start new lives.
For more info on the Sweet Caroline Open or the fundraising efforts for Safe Harbor, please contact Lynette Froelich at (864) 430-8810 or Kevin Dehlinger at (864) 288-7223. You can check out even more events in the Upstate here.
Sweet Caroline Open, Inc. is a 501(c)3 organization who conducts an international professional ladies and amateur racquetball tournament. The purpose of Sweet Caroline Open, Inc. is to promote the game of racquetball on an international level while being good stewards of the community by benefitting charities through funds raised by the tournament and its sponsors. For more information, see www.SweetCarolineOpen.com.