Long Island Tennis Magazine’s Charitable Initiatives: L.I. Teens Host Points for Patriots Fundraiser for Vets

Michael Schumer and Michele Lehat, two 17-year-olds from Long Island, hosted the Third Annual Points for Patriots Charity Tennis Tournament in early August, a round-robin doubles tournament that took place at Le Club Tennis in Westhampton Beach, N.Y.

The previous two Points for Patriots events raised $30,000 and gained major support from Suffolk County officials, local celebrities and dozens of neighboring businesses. The biggest honor, according to Schumer who founded the First Annual Points for Patriots event in 2011, was welcoming the Gabreski Air National Guard’s presentation of the colors prior to the start of the 2012 games.

This year’s event marked the third annual event, and raised thousands more in proceeds to exceed the $30,000 previously raised by the last two tournaments. The Third Annual tournament boasted nearly 60 players, 40 spectators and raffle prizes provided by some of the area’s top corporations and small businesses, including Donnay, Energyfruits, Topspin Tennis & Fitness, and Victor Talbot’s.

The tournament also featured Bob Litwin, a performance coach and senior tennis world champion as a keynote speaker, as well as the Gabreski Air National Guard for performing the Color Guard once again.

Schumer, a graduate of Jericho High School, lives in Muttontown, N.Y. and will attend the University of Chicago in the fall. He was a two-time captain of Jericho’s Varsity Tennis Team.

Lehat, a resident of Great Neck, N.Y., joins the Points for Patriots team with years of tennis experience as a top-ranked USTA Eastern tournament player. Lehat plans on playing college tennis in the fall of 2015.

“With thousands of troops returning from Iraq and Afghanistan, support of their ongoing needs is more critical than ever, particularly medically,” said Lehat.

“Our nation’s heroes deserve our support, and hosting a fun tennis event is the least we can do,” said Schumer.

Proceeds from the event will go directly to the construction of Traumatic Brain Injury and PTSD rehabilitation centers across the nation, most notably the Center for the Intrepid in San Antonio, Texas and the National Intrepid Center of Excellence in Bethesda, Md.