AHF Teen Ambassadors Expand “Hit It for Hatch” Fundraiser for 2024: Kicking off with a Tennis Tournament Jan. 6th
The Austin Hatcher Foundation for Pediatric Cancer (AHF)’s Teen Ambassadors kick off their “Hit It for Hatch” three-game series with a tennis tournament at McCallie School on January 6th. Anyone is invited to register in a variety of flights, with all funds supporting AHF’s mental and behavioral health programs for families facing childhood cancer.
Following the exciting success of AHF’s inaugural Hit it For Hatch tournament in January of 2023, the Austin Hatcher Teen Ambassador program has been vigorously working to put on the 2nd annual Hit It for Hatch. The idea was born in 2022, when seven of the AHF Teen Ambassadors, who all had a common interest in tennis, came together to start a tennis mixer to benefit the Foundation. The event was hosted at McCallie School and the turnout was huge, filling four flights of play throughout the day.
After raising over $28,000 dollars to benefit families facing pediatric cancer in the 2023 Hit It For Hatch, the founding Teen Ambassadors decided to expand the fundraiser beyond tennis.
“With the expansion of the Teen Ambassador program for the new school year, we knew we would have the manpower to bring their expansion plans to life,” said Georgia Moore, Events + Community Relations Manager for the Foundation.
As a result, this year, Hit It for Hatch will be a series of 3 events: tennis, pickleball, and volleyball. In order to facilitate the changes, the Hit It For Hatch Teen Committee has grown, with more than 20 Teen Ambassadors helping plan for the 2024 event. The tennis tournament will take place on January 6 at McCallie School, the pickleball event will follow on March 2 at Chattanooga Christian School, and the volleyball tournament will close out the series on the sand courts at XSV Volleyball on July 27.
Tennis and pickleball gameplay will be in a doubles up-down fashion, where points are played until a timer goes off. Then, the winning team will move up a court, and the losing team will move down, switching teammates each round. After a few rounds of this up-down game play, the final winner duo on the top court will claim the Hit It for Hatch Champion title and win the grand prize. The volleyball event will be 4 on 4, with pool play in the morning, leading to bracket play in the afternoon. Additionally, there will be multiple raffles throughout each event, with prize items such as gift cards, t-shirts, and more.
January’s Hit It for Hatch tennis tournament consists of a middle school flight, high school flight and two adult flights. Participants may sign up for whatever flight best fits their ability, regardless of age. Registration and more information can be found at https://p2p.onecause.com/hititforhatchtennis/home.
“Although I have no tennis experience, being involved in the HIFH tennis tournament last year was so fun and fulfilling,” said Teen Ambassador Avery Listen. “Working to benefit such a great cause fills me with so much pride and joy, and I hope this year’s events will be even more successful than last year.”
AHF’s teen volunteers have completely put together the fundraising tournament– from planning and coming up with the event, to gathering sponsorships, to securing the logistics and designing marketing materials– all to help raise funds and awareness for the Foundation. The teens are part of the Foundation’s Teen Ambassador Program (TAP), which is a year-long commitment designed to engage high school students with the Foundation’s patient families while furthering the mission to erase the effects of pediatric cancer.
January’s tennis tournament entry fee is $40, with all funds going back to the Austin Hatcher Foundation’s services that provide children and families the tools to cope in the present and thrive in the future after childhood cancer. Families of the foundation are provided with services such as Mental and Behavioral Health Therapy, Grief Counseling, Occupational Therapy, Neuro-Psych Testing, Family Programs, and more at absolutely no cost to them.
The Hit It for Hatch Series is presented by Tennessee Oncology. Gold sponsors include Sawrie Orthodontics, Chattanooga Christian School, Mountain View Ford, Talley Construction, Scenic City Orthodontics, Little Coyote, McCallie School, Lori and Douglas Finlay, XSV Volleyball, and Chattanooga Neurosurgery and Spine Clinic. For more information, and to register for the 2024 Hit It for Hatch tennis tournament, visit https://www.hatcherfoundation.org/hititforhatch.
For more information about Hit It for Hatch or the Austin Hatcher Foundation’s Teen Ambassador Program, please email jenny@hatcherfoundation.org or visit https://www.hatcherfoundation.org/tap.
