Dear Pine Tree Family,
For each of the past 38 summers, the Pine Tree Apple Tennis Classic (PTATC) has been an August gathering you don’t want to miss. A mixed doubles tennis event that started in 1986, the tournament has now raised almost $7.5 million supporting groundbreaking outcomes by the doctors and researchers at Children’s Minnesota and over 200 hospitals around the world as they discover better care treatments, and some day, a cure for childhood cancer.
The PTATC’s long-standing tradition is a testament to the power of our Founding Family’s vision, and the steadfast commitment of so many dedicated people over the years - everyone from the players, sponsors, volunteers, donors, staff at Children’s Minnesota, the patients, and more. We are especially grateful for all you do in making this event the premier mixed doubles tournament and fundraiser in the upper Midwest.
This year was another record-breaking year supporting the cause, raising over $460,000 and presenting a check for $340,000 to Children’s Minnesota in November. The tournament featured over 174 players - including 54 junior players. Seventy-four were first-time players and traveled from as far as Boston, New York, Florida, Tennessee, Chicago, Milwaukee and Des Moines to play in this event. Thanks to an anonymous donor and USTA Northern, we continued the Volunteer Give Back program in which 160 local high school and college students representing 15 different programs completed over 528 volunteer hours resulting in $10,560 contributed to these schools and another $5,280 donated to the cause.
We celebrated long-time player and volunteer Bob Marolt by inducting him into the Pine Tree Apple Tennis Classic Hall of Fame during the Friday Night Appreciation Party held this year at the Pine Tree Apple Orchard, and Elisabeth Walker won the 2023 Pine Tree Apple Tennis Classic Sportsmanship Award. We met our 2023 Honored Patients - Neriah and Charlie - and we celebrated Charlie finding out he was cancer free the day before the tournament started!
The cash registers were incredibly busy during the weekend, recording almost $28,000 in sales (5,048 transactions) over the four days, including $7,600 on Thursday night and confirming that everyone loves Happy Hour! For the record, we sold 436 Apple Rollovers, 214 6-packs of donuts, 333 brats, 185 hot dogs, 292 burgers, 107 Happy Hour meals, 624 beers and 166 signature drinks. We hope you were able to enjoy some of those during the weekend.
The Pine Tree Apple Tennis Classic would not be possible without the support of our many generous sponsors and donors including the Peterson Family (our Founding Family), the Jacobson Family Pine Tree Apple Orchard (our Founding Sponsor), Life Time White Bear (our Site Sponsor), our Event and Presenting sponsors, and all of our sponsors, donors, tennis players and volunteers who make the PTATC happen. This year, we welcomed six new sponsors to the Pine Tree family and there is always room for more. To learn more about our 2024 Sponsorship opportunities, please click here.
We continue to be amazed by the dedication of the research team at Children’s Minnesota, whose work not only helps children survive, but also thrive during and after treatment. We are so proud of their work in developing two world-renowned tumor registries, the development of an international prospective clinical trial to translate findings from the lab into clinical care, and the creation of a nationally recognized model of rehabilitation for childhood cancer patients. The team has published countless research papers, delivered numerous presentations on research findings and collaborated on a regular basis with researchers and care providers all over the world to help children with these rare cancers in the hopes of finding a cure.
The Pine Tree Apple Classic Fund Board is enthusiastic about our mission to be a positive force in the health and well-being of kids with childhood diseases and their families and strive in continually making a difference. There is always room for more. If you have an interest in joining this wonderful team of volunteers, please let us know.
Thank you again for being an integral part of this event! We could not do it without you!
Game, Set, Cure!
Pine Tree Apple Classic Fund Board of Directors
Kevin Werwie, President
Nancy Jacobson, Treasurer
Matt Narr, Secretary
Barry Dobson, Director
Norm Longsdorf, Director
Shannon Matson, Director
Cheryl Yasis, Director
For each of the past 38 summers, the Pine Tree Apple Tennis Classic (PTATC) has been an August gathering you don’t want to miss. A mixed doubles tennis event that started in 1986, the tournament has now raised almost $7.5 million supporting groundbreaking outcomes by the doctors and researchers at Children’s Minnesota and over 200 hospitals around the world as they discover better care treatments, and some day, a cure for childhood cancer.
The PTATC’s long-standing tradition is a testament to the power of our Founding Family’s vision, and the steadfast commitment of so many dedicated people over the years - everyone from the players, sponsors, volunteers, donors, staff at Children’s Minnesota, the patients, and more. We are especially grateful for all you do in making this event the premier mixed doubles tournament and fundraiser in the upper Midwest.
This year was another record-breaking year supporting the cause, raising over $460,000 and presenting a check for $340,000 to Children’s Minnesota in November. The tournament featured over 174 players - including 54 junior players. Seventy-four were first-time players and traveled from as far as Boston, New York, Florida, Tennessee, Chicago, Milwaukee and Des Moines to play in this event. Thanks to an anonymous donor and USTA Northern, we continued the Volunteer Give Back program in which 160 local high school and college students representing 15 different programs completed over 528 volunteer hours resulting in $10,560 contributed to these schools and another $5,280 donated to the cause.
We celebrated long-time player and volunteer Bob Marolt by inducting him into the Pine Tree Apple Tennis Classic Hall of Fame during the Friday Night Appreciation Party held this year at the Pine Tree Apple Orchard, and Elisabeth Walker won the 2023 Pine Tree Apple Tennis Classic Sportsmanship Award. We met our 2023 Honored Patients - Neriah and Charlie - and we celebrated Charlie finding out he was cancer free the day before the tournament started!
The cash registers were incredibly busy during the weekend, recording almost $28,000 in sales (5,048 transactions) over the four days, including $7,600 on Thursday night and confirming that everyone loves Happy Hour! For the record, we sold 436 Apple Rollovers, 214 6-packs of donuts, 333 brats, 185 hot dogs, 292 burgers, 107 Happy Hour meals, 624 beers and 166 signature drinks. We hope you were able to enjoy some of those during the weekend.
The Pine Tree Apple Tennis Classic would not be possible without the support of our many generous sponsors and donors including the Peterson Family (our Founding Family), the Jacobson Family Pine Tree Apple Orchard (our Founding Sponsor), Life Time White Bear (our Site Sponsor), our Event and Presenting sponsors, and all of our sponsors, donors, tennis players and volunteers who make the PTATC happen. This year, we welcomed six new sponsors to the Pine Tree family and there is always room for more. To learn more about our 2024 Sponsorship opportunities, please click here.
We continue to be amazed by the dedication of the research team at Children’s Minnesota, whose work not only helps children survive, but also thrive during and after treatment. We are so proud of their work in developing two world-renowned tumor registries, the development of an international prospective clinical trial to translate findings from the lab into clinical care, and the creation of a nationally recognized model of rehabilitation for childhood cancer patients. The team has published countless research papers, delivered numerous presentations on research findings and collaborated on a regular basis with researchers and care providers all over the world to help children with these rare cancers in the hopes of finding a cure.
The Pine Tree Apple Classic Fund Board is enthusiastic about our mission to be a positive force in the health and well-being of kids with childhood diseases and their families and strive in continually making a difference. There is always room for more. If you have an interest in joining this wonderful team of volunteers, please let us know.
Thank you again for being an integral part of this event! We could not do it without you!
Game, Set, Cure!
Pine Tree Apple Classic Fund Board of Directors
Kevin Werwie, President
Nancy Jacobson, Treasurer
Matt Narr, Secretary
Barry Dobson, Director
Norm Longsdorf, Director
Shannon Matson, Director
Cheryl Yasis, Director