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The 28th Annual King of the Hill Tennis Tournament will be held for seven consecutive Thursdays starting January 19th and ending March 2nd. The action-packed fundraising event features tennis professionals from the greater Treasure Coast area, from Stuart to Melbourne. This year’s tournament will be held at The Boulevard Village and Tennis Club in Vero Beach. Play starts at 6:00 p.m. Early, round admission is $10.00 and sponsorships are available starting at $500.
The King of the Hill tournament originated in January 1996 at Timber Ridge Tennis Ranch in Vero Beach. The
vision was to give tennis fans the opportunity to enjoy high-level doubles competition, while providing local
tennis professionals the chance to participate in the festivities and enjoy the spirit of competition. Planned and
organized by local tennis pro Gigi Casapu since its inception, the funds raised at King of the Hill benefit Youth
Guidance Mentoring Academy.
Youth Guidance is celebrating 50 years serving Indian River County youth through its one-on-one and group
mentoring programs. The local organization provides life skills, hands-on vocational training, academic
enrichment, and healthy meals to 250 local children and young adults (ages 5-24) every year. Tournament
proceeds will support life skills and vocational training programs such as cooking, sewing, money management,
bicycle repair, boat mechanics, HVAC, plumbing, welding, carpentry, electric, and more.
“All the programs and meals we provide are made available to families free of charge,” said Phil Barnes,
Executive Director of Youth Guidance Mentoring Academy. “Our King of the Hill sponsors and attendees help
make this possible.”
Youth Guidance Mentoring Academy is dedicated to enriching the lives of Indian River County youth through
mentoring relationships that inspire trust, self-esteem, and positive futures. Founded in 1973, Youth Guidance
provides daily meals as well as one-on-one and group mentoring programs to children and young adults ages 5-
24 with limited resources.
After school, students complete their homework under the supervision of trained Youth Guidance staff. Then
they participate in group mentoring programs that include hands-on vocational training, life skills, and STEAM
(Science, technology, engineering, arts, and math). All programs and meals are provided free of charge thanks
to the generosity of the local community.
If you are interested in learning more about Youth Guidance or would like to sponsor King of the Hill 2023,
please call 772.492.3933, or visit http://www.youthguidanceprogram.org.