Andy Roddick Foundation To Recieve Award

On Wednesday, November 16, The Andy Roddick Foundation will be honored by receiving the Outstanding Foundation Award presented by the Association of Fundraising Professionals at the National Philanthropy Day Luncheon held at the Broward County Convention Center in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.

A chance conversation between two tennis pros has helped benefit untold numbers of needy children in South Florida.

As the story goes, Andy Roddick, then 18 years old, found himself seated next to fellow tennis player Andre Agassi on a flight to a tournament. During the course of the conversation, Roddick asked Agassi what he would have done differently when he was Andy’s age. Agassi’s answer: “I wish I would have started my foundation earlier and helped more people through it.”

So, at an age when many teenagers are thinking about their next date or getting into college, Roddick–with the help of his parents, Blanche and Jerry Roddick, and their long-time friends, Ron and Doris Porter– began his own foundation. On Wednesday, November 16th, The Andy Roddick Foundation will receive the Outstanding Foundation Award at the 2005 annual National Philanthropy Day awards celebration at the Greater Fort Lauderdale/Broward County Convention Center in Fort Lauderdale.

The Andy Roddick Foundation is testament to how a small group of dedicated people can make an immense impact in the community. What began as small, backyard-neighborhood-type fund-raiser has turned into a foundation that has awarded more than $2.2 million to worthy causes in Broward County in just four years. The foundation’s primary focus is helping children who have been abused, are at-risk, are suffering from illness or need help to succeed academically. The foundation’s slogan is “Helping Children Today…For Tomorrow.”

Among the many agencies that have benefited from the foundation’s philanthropy: A Safe Haven for Newborns, Children’s Diagnostic & Treatment Center of South Florida, Sun-Sentinel/Children’s Fund, and Kids in Distress.

To see how far the Andy Roddick Foundation has come in such a short time, consider that its first charity gathering was a neighborhood event to provide scholarships for three needy students to Roddick’s alma mater (Boca Prep High School). This year, the Fifth Annual Andy Roddick Charity Weekend is a three-day extravaganza Dec. 9-11 that will feature a concert by entertainer Lionel Richie at Hard Rock Live, a dinner-dance auction at Polo Club Boca Raton, and a tennis exhibition featuring a number of Hollywood celebrities.

The goal of the foundation is to raise more than $1 million this year.
People familiar with the foundation are betting this goal will be reached. Among them is Phyllis Bard, director of events for Kids in Distress, one of the organizations that has benefited from the foundation’s generosity. “The first year they raised $30,000. The second year, they raised $135,000. Every year, they’ve doubled (what they raised the previous year). That’s very impressive,” Bard said. “But what’s really impressive is (Andy’s) commitment. He has really made a difference in the lives of a lot of kids. When he sits down with the kids, you can see it in his face how passionate he is about it.”

Bard also noted that all members of the Andy Roddick Foundation staff, including the six executives, are volunteers who work out of their homes in order to help reduce overhead. “It shows that you don’t have to have a ton of paid staff or a lot of fancy things to help make a difference,” she said.

Doris Porter, the foundation’s director, is modest about the upcoming award. “We’re very honored. We are pleased to be able to raise funds for these kids. It’s frightening that there are so many out there (who need help). But if we can touch some of them…we’re very fortunate. We take pride in working hard and getting things done,” she said. “It’s 12 hours a day, six days a week. But I love it.”