A Day Of Play At Hampton Racquet

Adult round robins, and tennis clinics and match play for kids at Hampton Racquet Saturday will help breast cancer patients and their families.

The June 29 event, titled “A Day of Play,” benefits the Ellen Hermanson Foundation, which was established in 1997 to honor Hermanson’s memory and carry on the breast cancer awareness work to which she devoted much of her time and energy.

An activist and an advocate, Hermanson channeled her journalistic talents to become a forceful voice for breast cancer patients and their families. She educated her readers about the importance of early detection, the challenges of living with breast cancer, the very real but little-discussed or understood issue of pain management, and the debilitating effects of breast cancer on the entire family.

No patient is turned away from the Ellen Hermanson Breast Center at Stony Brook Southampton Hospital for lack of insurance or inability to pay for treatment, and all services though what’s called “Ellen’s Well” — a program that provides psychosocial support for breast cancer survivors under the leadership of specially-trained oncological social workers — are provided free of charge.

A family ticket for the entire day — 11 AM to 3 PM — which includes two parents and their children, costs $50. An individual ticket costs $20. Tickets can be purchased at www.ellenhermanson.org.

In addition to the tennis events, there will be a healthy barbecue, outside games, a bouncy castle, obstacle course, and trophies and prizes. Monika Olko, owner of Monika Olko Gallery in Sag Harbor, donated a painting from the artist Michele D’Ermo called “Distant Rain” that will be used as a silent auction item.

For more information, email info@ellensrun.org or call 212-840-0916.

Hampton Racquet is located at 172 Buckskill Road in East Hampton. A rain date is scheduled for Sunday, June 30.

desiree@indyeastend.com