Children with physical challenges and their siblings over the age of five are invited to participate in a First Volley adaptive tennis clinic. The clinic will be held at Forest Park Tennis Center on Sumner Avenue in Springfield, Massachusetts on Saturday, June 25th from 9:00 a.m. to Noon. 

There is NO charge for First Volley, just the chance to try adaptive tennis with certified instructors with years of experience in working with children with physical challenges.  Tennis equipment, prizes and refreshments will be provided. Wheelchair participants are welcome. Pre-registration is required. To register, call Shriners Hospitals for Children at 413-735-1291 or email bwhite@shrinenet.org.   

First Volley is an adaptive tennis, skills and drills program aimed at any child with a physical challenge. The clinic is made possible in part through grant funding from the United States Tennis Association and USTA Serves. OPAF and The First Clinics develop, implement, partner and host adaptive recreational sports programs and clinics for those with physical challenges.  First Volley, adaptive tennis, First Swing, adaptive golf, First Dive Intro to Scuba, First Swim, McKeever’s First Ride, therapeutic horsemanship and launched in 2010 First Paddle, adaptive kayaking are all part of the First Family.  For more information, please visit the OPAF website at www.opfund.org.                                            

Common Ground Restaurant, located at 25 Park Street, West Springfield, Mass has chosen Shriners Hospitals for Children-Springfield as its charity of choice for the month of June. 
Click here for details.

Special thanks to Melha Shriner, Paul Schafer for initially contacting the restaurant to make this possible.

Through an ongoing partnership between Starlight Children’s Foundation and Colgate-Palmolive Company, and with the support of Big Y Supermarkets, a new Starlight Fun Center™ was unveiled at Shriners Hospitals for Children in Springfield, Massachusetts.

For children who may be facing surgery, enduring long outpatient treatments or fighting loneliness after hospital visiting hours have ended, Starlight Fun Centers™ provide a comforting break. Each Starlight Fun Center™ mobile entertainment unit features a Sharp AQUOS™ LCD TV, DVD player and Nintendo Wii™ gaming system to provide hours of fun and distraction.

“When a child is diagnosed with a serious illness, the day-to-day joys of childhood take a back seat to the rigors of treatment and hospitalization,” said Jenny Isaacson, VP Brand Marketing & Communications at Starlight Children’s Foundation. “Our Fun Centers help ease the isolation and fear children often experience while in the hospital. We’re proud to join Colgate-Palmolive in presenting this new Fun Center to Shriners Hospital for Children.”

“Colgate is proud to support Starlight Children’s Foundation and their dedication to helping seriously ill children and their families cope with the challenges that accompany prolonged childhood illness,” said Marie Agnes Daumas, Collaborative Customer Events, Colgate-Palmolive. “Starlight’s programs ease the burden on seriously ill children and their families and help them to better deal with, understand and manage their illnesses. With the local support of Big Y Supermarkets, we hope that today’s Fun Center unveiling will help bring smiles to the children at Shriners Hospital.”

This year, Colgate-Palmolive celebrated its 21st year of partnering with Starlight. During the more than two-decade partnership, Colgate has donated more than 1,300 Starlight Fun Centers™ and about $8.5 million to Starlight to promote Starlight’s mission and help improve the lives of young patients and their families.

About Colgate-Palmolive Company – Colgate-Palmolive is a leading global consumer products company, tightly focused on Oral Care, Personal Care, Home Care and Pet Nutrition. Colgate sells its products in over 200 countries and territories around the world under such internationally recognized brand names as Colgate, Palmolive, Mennen, Softsoap, Irish Spring, Protex, Sorriso, Kolynos, Elmex, Ajax, Axion, Soupline, and Suavitel, as well as Hill’s Science Diet and Hill’s Prescription Diet pet foods. For more information about Colgate’s global business, visit the Company’s website at www.colgate.com.

About Starlight Children’s Foundation – When a child or teenager has a serious medical condition, everyone in the family is affected. For more than 25 years, Starlight Children’s Foundation has been dedicated to helping seriously ill children and their families cope with their pain, fear and isolation through entertainment, education and family activities. Starlight’s programs have been proven to distract children from their pain, help them better understand and manage their illnesses, and connect families facing similar challenges so that no one feels alone. Through a network of chapters and offices, Starlight provides ongoing support to children, parents and siblings in all U.S. states and Canadian provinces with an array of outpatient, hospital-based and Web offerings. Programs are also delivered internationally through affiliates in Australia, Japan and the United Kingdom. To learn more visit www.starlight.org.