HAWAII-PACIFIC TENNIS FOUNDATION

Events & News

FOUNDATION TO HONOR
BENITA INCILLIO AND JONATHAN CHANG
AS 2005 JUNIORS OF THE YEAR

The Hawaii-Pacific Tennis Foundation will honor Benita Incillio and Jonathan Chang as its 2005 Juniors of the Year. The Foundation will present each award to the recipients at its Annual Meeting and Awards Banquet at the Radisson Waikiki Prince Kuhio Hotel in from 6:00 to 9:00 pm on Thursday, December 8, 2005.

Benita has the heart of a champion. She has tremendous athleticism and character. In just under one year, taking lessons once a week, Benita has blossomed into one of best 12 and under 2.5 tennis players in Hawaii. Benita has won over 85% of her matches and is undefeated in doubles. Benita uses speed and quickness as major tools towards her success in tennis. She is reputed to be the fastest person at Pearl Highlands Intermediate School where she is also stars in track. She possesses tenacity, fearlessness and sportsmanship all at the same time.

Her tennis success is second only to her success in education. Benita is an excellent student, and has brought home only A's and B's from school this year. What is even more remarkable, is how well balanced Benita's character is. She is very respectful, a role model for fair play, and is committed to excellence. She works hard every moment of practice and still has fun doing so. She wants to be the best and will work hard to try to achieve it, without stepping on anybody's toes.

Jonathan Chang is a Foundation Junior of the Year primarily because of his mentoring work with the Tennis Buddy program. This school year he has volunteered his Friday afternoons to serve as a “Big” Tennis Buddy to elementary school kids. He faithfully plays and works with the “Littles” interested in playing tennis. Jonathan is a junior at Pearl City High School whose favorite subject is geometry. A fierce competitor on court, Jonathan is a tournament player who trains with Coach Vanne Akagi-Bustin in our High Performance program.

Tickets for the Annual Meeting and Awards Banquet are still available at $40 for the general public, $35 for Foundation members. The Banquet will feature as speaker John Nelson, University of Hawaii-Manoa Men’s Tennis Coach. The event will also highlight a silent and live auction including a private lesson with tennis celebrity Luke Jensen. To reserve a spot or for more information, email the Foundation at dav@hawaiitennis.org or call (808)677-1334.

The Hawaii Pacific Tennis Foundation is a not for profit 501(c) (3) charitable organization committed to community development and promoting and developing the growth of tennis. With the pursuit of excellence for each individual in mind, the Foundation emphasizes honesty, integrity, goal setting, hard work, self-esteem, responsibility and teamwork as its core values.