Dream a reality for kids

Hundreds of lucky children will get the chance to live the Dream.
Chefette, Powerade and Gildan are set to give a lot of Bajan kids a once in a lifetime chance to see top level tennis for free after donating hundreds of tickets to three different entities for next month’s Dream Cup.
The Tickets for Kids initiative was announced over the weekend by executive director of the event, Kodi Lewis, who marketed the event as much more than a sports tourism project.
“The idea for us is not simply to provide tickets for kids to watch tennis, it’s a little deeper because we want to give them the opportunity to see these athletes performing at the sport they do best and then being able to take away from that an experience that promotes a healthy lifestyle,” explained Lewis.
“But at the core, all of these players started off having a dream and we want that to come across to them. No matter what your dream is it is achievable once you work towards it.
“And the charitable aspect of it all is very important to us. We are going to be implementing different avenues in giving back, and not just money. Sometimes the other things are worth more than money,” he added.
The tickets will be distributed to the Barbados Tennis Association (BTA)?for its Schools’ Initiative Programme as well as to the Diabetes Association of Barbados and the Precious Touch Foundation.
It’s just one of the initiatives surrounding the much-hyped three-day event featuring reigning Wimbledon champ Andy Murray, former US Open winner Juan Martin del Potro along and fellow top 20 players Richard Gasquet and Nicolas Almagro.
According to Lewis, the Dream Cup executives are also looking to provide Dream Internships for University of the West Indies students, who will get the opportunity to work closely with sports network giant ESPN – the broadcast partner for the event.
“We also have the dream scholarships, which now are for the BTA and their juniors that will help them financially and through mentoring as well,” Lewis revealed.
Tickets for the semi-finals and finals at the Wildey Gym on November 29 and 30 respectively, and the exhibition doubles match at Sugar Hill on December 1, are already on sale. Ticket information can be acquired online at thedreamcup.com. (JM)