“Pathfinder Village helps people find their
way in life to independence, success, and
maturity — all the things you want for your family.”
Marian Mullet | Founder of Pathfinder Village
Chobani Tennis Events raise $25,000 for scholarships
COOPERSTOWN, NEW YORK, September 19, 2019 … Tennis legend Arthur Ashe once said, “Start where you are. Use what you have. Do what you can.” For ten years, regional tennis enthusiasts have followed Ashe’s lead, leveraging the sport they love to raise scholarship funds for Pathfinder Village in Edmeston, a residential community and service provider for people with developmental disabilities.
The tenth annual Chobani Tennis Classic and fifth annual Chobani Juniors Tennis Classic raised over $25,000 for the human services non-profit in two days of play at the Har-Tru courts of the Cooperstown Country Club. In the Classic event on September 3, following doubles play, Flight A winners were Kyle Reiss of Oneonta and Bob Evans of New Hartford, sponsored by Strategic Financial Services, who defeated Jon Hansen of Oneonta and Dave Lemire of New Hartford. The B Flight was stormed by newcomers William “Beep” Brown of Roseboom, and John Hodgson of Cooperstown, who defeated Patrick Kinley of Cooperstown, and Kathleen Hager of Palm Beach and Cooperstown.
On Saturday, September 7, the Juniors Tennis Classic featured 14 players, ages 10 to 16, in a points-of-compass match format. The A-Draw winner was 2018 Champion David Fenner of Clinton, with Gunther Weldon of Cooperstown repeating as the runner-up. The B-Draw winner was Lucas Davis of Vestal, with Thomas Hellenthal of Cooperstown as the runner-up. Each year the event provides competition for novice and developing players, fosters friendships, helps students learn game etiquette, and encourages youngsters to support human service agencies.
“This year marked a special milestone: 10 years of tennis tournaments!” said Pat Hanft, co-chair of the Tournament’s Steering Committee. “Ten years of tennis is an achievement only made possible through the ongoing philanthropy and substantial support of title sponsor Chobani for every one of those years, as well as through the use of the tennis facilities at the Cooperstown Country Club. Our thanks also go out to our Trophy Sponsors, the Dairy Farmers of America and Strategic Financial Services, and our other sponsors through the years, for their significant support.”
This year the tennis events reached a cumulative fundraising total of $177,000 since 2010; the proceeds provide direct financial assistance to residents and students who receive community-based services through Pathfinder Village.
“The collective goodwill and participation of so many on behalf of Pathfinder families is inspiring,” said Paul C. Landers, Pathfinder’s president and chief executive officer. “The Chobani tennis events represent community activism in motion. Pathfinder Village is grateful for Chobani’s leadership and to the countless supporters for these events through the past decade.”
Pat and Bob Hanft of Cooperstown oversee play and chair the volunteer committee for the Tennis Classic; Charlie Kieler and Jeanette Weldon organize the Juniors Tennis Classic. Along with the tournament organizers, the Tennis Committees include volunteers Chris Hulse, Patrick Kinley, Mary Margaret Sohns, and Kristin Aiello and Don Brown of Chobani, which has regional facilities in Chenango County. For more information about the benefit tournament, please contact the Development Staff at Pathfinder Village Foundation at
Pathfinder Village, which opened in 1980, provides quality services for individuals living with intellectual disabilities, including highly successful educational, residential, pre-vocational and outreach programs. To learn more, visit pathfindervillage.org, or visit our fan page on the popular social networking site, Facebook.
Youth tennis players competed at the Chobani Juniors Tennis Classic on Saturday, September 7, to help raise funds in support of Pathfinder Village scholarships. Lucas Davis, Vestal, and Thomas Hellenthal, Cooperstown, B-Draw Winners, are presented trophies by Juniors Co-Chair Charlie Kieler; 2019 Champion David Fenner of Clinton and Gunter Weldon of Cooperstown, won the A-Draw. The Juniors Tennis Classic focuses on building friendships, developing game mastery and etiquette, and encourages student-athletes to support human service agencies.
Area tennis enthusiasts ‘raised a racket’ in support of Pathfinder Village scholarships recently at the tenth annual Chobani Tennis Classic, held at the Cooperstown Country Club on Tuesday, September 3. Finalists from Flight A included Dave Lemire and Jon Hansen, with winners Kyle Reiss and Bob Evans. Finalists in Flight B included William Brown, John Hodgson, Kathleen Hager, and Patrick Kinley. (Photos by Bill Schaeffer and Lori Grace, courtesy of Pathfinder Village).