From the desert in the South to Mount Hermon in the North

The children of the ITC – Beer Sheva left the capital of the Negev desert for a day, on the 21st February 2012 to visit Mount Hermon in the North of Israel. Around 100 people from the center, two full buses, left at 4.45am. The busses were filled with children from all the programs – the Addison Reserve Program, the ” Players of the next Generation Program” for children from Ethiopian Descent, Special Tennis and from the High Performance and Achievement Programs.

The weather was beautiful and there was plenty of snow – for most children it was the first time they ever saw the snow. The children held a snowman making competition, slid in snow slays and of course they had snow fights. Jonathan David, the donor for the Next Generation Program, joined the group with his family so they could spend quality time with the children.

Manager of the ITC – Beer Sheva, Yaniv Sakira: “It was fun to see the coaches and the children experience the Hermon as for most of them it was the first time. There is no doubt that trips such as these add a lot to the atmosphere and the aim is to make these outings a tradition”.

Marina Sidorov, who works at the center and whose son trains on the High Performance Tennis Program, joined the trip and came back happy: “It was an unforgettable experience and there was loads of snow. It was the first time I have visited Mount Hermon and our snow man won the first prize in the competition!”

Yaniv Sakira with the children

The children having fun in the snow

About The Israel Tennis Centers Foundation (“ITC”):
The ITC is a non-profit organization (formerly known as The Israel Children’s Centers is a 501 (c)) that works to enhance the social, psychological and physical development of Israeli children through the medium of sport. We provide a healthy and structured environment for children from all walks of life, teaching values of cooperation, persistence and tolerance. Thirty-five years after the inauguration of the first Israel Tennis Center in Ramat Hasharon, the ITC has expanded throughout Israel and has nurtured and empowered more children and adults than the original founders could have ever dreamed. Currently one of the largest social-service agencies for children in Israel, the ITC operates 14 Centers throughout Israel’s periphery within socio-economically disadvantaged neighborhoods. The Centers are complete with cutting edge facilities and tennis courts that serve over 20,000 children. For additional background please visit: http://www.israeltenniscenters.org