Eastern Umpires Donate Their Time for a Cure

The following article was taken off the USTA Eastern web site:

Eastern Umpires Donate Their Time for a Cure

The match between James Blake and Sam Querrey on Dec. 1 may not have counted, but it still mattered to nine umpires and ten ball boys and girls from Eastern who donated their time at the event.

The umpires, led by Eileen Leonard, were among the many people who came to Pier 94 in Manhattan, to enjoy tennis, fine food and live music, -- and support cancer research at the BackOffice Associates Serve for a Cure event. All proceeds from the event went to the Thomas Blake Sr. Cancer Research Fund, which Blake established last year at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Hospital in memory of his father.

Several of the officials had relatives who were treated for cancer at Memorial-Sloan Kettering, Leonard said. She said she enjoyed the support people showed at the event for the important cause.

“I was impressed,” Leonard said. “The crowd was so enthusiastic.”

After Blake and Querrey’s played, the two joined together to take on Bob and Mike Bryan in a double’s match. Participants also enjoyed a food tasting from some of New York’s finest chefs, a fashion show from Blake’s new Fila line, as well as a performance from Grammy-award winning artist Wyclef Jean.

Eastern Umpires Who Officiated at Event
Chief Umpire: Eileen Leonard
Chair Umpire: Roberta Kaylie
Line umpires: Joe Brattoli, Jerold Lewis, Luis Mera, Linda Mitchell, Barbara Petito, Mayra Rawlins, and Vivian Simons.