4th annual Kennedy Funding Invitational to be held July 8-12 at Dellwood Country Club in New City, NY

HACKENSACK, NJ — Passion and commitment have not only made Kennedy Funding the nation’s leading direct private lender, they’ve also helped the charity tennis tournament we began four years ago become one of the premier events of its kind.

The Kennedy Funding Invitational combines the excitement and competition of world-class tennis with the fight against breast cancer. Each summer, tennis professionals and fans gather, with the goal of improving the diagnostic capabilities and care at two outstanding breast care centers in Englewood, NJ and Nyack, NY. Now in its fourth year, the event will again be held at Dellwood Country Club in New City, NY between July 8-12 and promises to be even bigger and better than ever.

In addition to outstanding competition, the celebrity exhibition match has become a traditional highlight of the five-day event. Past participants have included former champions Pete Sampras and John McEnroe. This year, we’re proud to have one of the all time greats, Andre Agassi join the cause, playing in the exhibition match and appearing at various events throughout the tournament.

The aggressive and flamboyant Agassi was a favorite throughout his 20-year career, winning an Olympic Gold Medal and 68 titles. He is one of only five male players to have won all four Grand Slam singles titles and was ranked #1 in the world. Retired from competition, he actively supports charity and philanthropic causes.

At The Kennedy Funding Invitational, Agassi will play local favorite Justin Gimelstob, a well-known retired tennis professional and previous winner of the Mixed Doubles titles at the Australian Open and French Open with partner Venus Williams. A former #1 teen player, he turned pro in 1996. He ranked as high as #18 in doubles competition and has been involved with The Kennedy Funding Invitational since its beginning.

After Leslie Simon lost her battle with breast cancer in 2006, friends Kevin Wolfer (Co-CEO of Kennedy Funding), James Miller and Mitch Klein organized The Kennedy Funding Invitational in her honor and memory.
They enlisted the support of businesses, families and individuals to raise awareness—and much-needed funding—to fight this horrible disease.

The tournament has grown exponentially to become one of the premier charitable tennis events in the nation. In just its first three years, more than $2 million was donated to the renamed Leslie Simon Breast Care and Cytodiagnosis Center at Englewood Hospital and the Breast Center at Nyack Hospital.

“We began the Invitational as a way of honoring Leslie and to increase awareness in this important cause,” remarks Kevin Wolfer. “We’re absolutely thrilled at the way it’s continued to grow each year, thanks to the generous support of everyone involved. Not everyone realizes the amount of work that goes in—there’s a Board of Directors that meets throughout the year, planning and implementing every last detail and a Board of Trustees that involves more than 40 dedicated members. But the results are well worth
the effort.”

The hospitals appreciate the efforts. Thanks, in part, to The Kennedy Funding Invitational, Englewood Hospital now has one of the only MRI machines in the world dedicated to breast imaging. With the ability to diagnose breast cancer earlier, the prognosis is dramatically improved for patients.

This July 8-12, The Kennedy Funding Invitational will once again take over Dellwood Country Club. No tickets are required for main tournament matches—admission is free, but on a first come, first served basis. A limited number of tickets are for sale for the Andre Agassi celebrity match.

For more information about becoming a sponsor, or attending the events, please visit www.kennedyfundinginvitational.com or call Mitch Klein at 845.634.4674 or Kevin Wolfer at 800.342.8500.