Tennis stars charitable in their off season
With the regular tennis season wrapped up last month after the Barclays ATP World Tour Finals, the tennis stars have stepped off the courts and are involved in different charitable actions.
Whether it is Serena Williams taking part in the Digital Death/ Buy Life campaign for AIDS research or Rafael Nadal playing Roger Federer for underprivileged children, almost all the tennis stars are involved in charity in one capacity or the other.
Recently appointed Goodwill Ambassador by UNDP, Aisam-ul-Haq Qureshi made a trip to the flood hit areas of Pakistan. The U.S. Open doubles finalist has also opened a foundation by the name of Ul-Haq Foundation which raises money for the rehabilitation of
flood affected victims.
He flew off to Hunza Nagar and Ghizer valley to oversee the reconstruction projects being carried out in flood ravaged valleys.
Coming back from these areas and talking about these projects, Qureshi said, “It is really overwhelming. You see the pictures on the television, you read about the thousands and thousands that are affected. But until you actually go there and see the suffering
and in such harsh weather, it is very tough to fully comprehend. You know we often get numbed by the millions of dollars needed after catastrophes like Haiti or Pakistan. But I was able to witness today just how valuable one hundred, five hundred and a thousand
dollars can be. One thousand US dollars is what it costs to build a house here that is 400 square feet with a living room, kitchen, washroom and insulated to keep out the severe cold weather. And each house can shelter up to ten people.”
Qureshi’s foundation also received donations from number one doubles Bryan brothers, Mike and Bob. The foundation used this money to help construct five houses that provide shelter to forty seven victims.
In other parts of the world, top Brit, Andy Murray participated in the 10th edition of the Mark Knowles Celebrity Tennis Invitational in the Bahamas. He joined other ATP and WTA players to help raise money for different local charities.
Teamed up with Knowles, Murray played Oliver Marach and Bobby Reynolds in a doubles exhibition match before playing Xavier Malisse in singles. The event helped raise one hundred and fifty thousand dollars for local charities.
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