McDonald's(R) Williams Sisters Tour Hits Three New Cities
Seattle, Cleveland and Washington D.C. will each host a night of tennis and entertainment featuring a match between Venus and Serena Williams that will benefit Ronald McDonald House Charities® in conjunction with McDonald’s World Children’s Day®FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: David Tratner (Miami)
dtratner@imgworld.com
10/20/05 - Venus and Serena Williams will once again embark on a three-city tour as the feature match during a night of tennis and entertainment to help raise money for Ronald McDonald House Charities as part of the 2005 McDonald’s Williams Sisters Tour.
Jazz Saxophonist Mike Phillips, whose album “Uncommon Denominator” is in stores now and is also a featured artist on Stevie Wonder’s latest album, will also perform in all three cities. Additional entertainment will be announced when finalized.
The Tour’s second year begins on November 17 at Seattle’s KeyArena. The next stop is Cleveland, where they will play at Quicken Loans (formerly Gund) Arena on Dec. 1. The tour wraps in Washington D.C., playing downtown in the Nation’s Capital at the MCI Center on Dec. 8. A portion of the proceeds from each tour stop will benefit Ronald McDonald House Charities and other local charitable organizations in each city.
The tour debuted in 2004 with stops in Chicago, Detroit and Atlanta and donated $175,000 to several charities, with Ronald McDonald House Charities as the Tour’s primary beneficiary.
Prior to each show, Venus and Serena will spend time in each market, visiting local schools and community organizations.
In Seattle, Venus and Serena will visit the local Ronald McDonald House with Seattle Mayor Greg Nickels and then host a community event at TT Minor Elementary School. In Washington DC, The Williams Sisters will visit the award-winning Southeast Tennis and Learning Center as part of a free community outreach event sponsored by the Freddie Mac Foundation and The Washington Post where children from around the community will be invited to come learn about tennis. The SETLC was recently awarded the Tennis Facility Youth Program of the Year award by the United States Tennis Association. Cleveland details will be announced when finalized.
“The McDonald’s Williams Sisters Tour is an important opportunity for Serena and I to visit cities where our fans would not otherwise have an opportunity to see us play,” Venus Williams said. “This is such a unique opportunity for us to raise money for important charities and to visit schools and community programs in each city.
“We are looking forward to bringing women’s tennis to Seattle, Cleveland and Washington D.C. as we continue our ongoing efforts to raise money for Ronald McDonald House Charities,” added Serena Williams. “It is a rewarding experience to be able to immerse ourselves in the communities that we visit on the McDonald’s Williams Sisters Tour and support so many worthwhile causes.”
Tickets are available through Ticketmaster at 800-326-4000, the arena box offices and ticketmaster.com and are priced as low as $20 to $150 for seats on the court.
In addition to McDonald’s, sponsors for the McDonald’s Williams Sisters Tour include: Powerade, USTA Pacific Northwest, The Seattle Times, The Seattle Post-Intelligencer, Wal-Mart, Comcast, Freddie Mac Foundation, The Washington Post, FirstMerit Bank and the Cleveland Plain Dealer.
VENUS AND SERENA WILLIAMS:
At the ages of 25 and 24, Venus and Serena Williams are international superstars that have ushered the game of tennis into a new era by combining star power and athletic prowess. In 2005, both Venus and Serena stayed at the top level of the sport, as Serena won the Australian Open, her seventh Grand Slam singles title, and Venus captured Wimbledon, her fifth Grand Slam singles title and third at the All-England Club. Together they have won 28 Grand Slam titles and three Olympic Gold Medals. Their record-breaking accomplishments include being the first sisters in tennis history to each achieve the #1 professional rankings; being the first sisters to be ranked #1 and #2 in the professional rankings and being the first sisters since 1884 to compete against each other in a Grand Slam final. In 2002-2003, Venus and Serena played each other in five out of six Grand Slam finals. During that period, Serena won four (4) consecutive Grand Slam titles earning what the media called “the Serena Slam”. Their accomplishments have garnered Venus and Serena a broad fan base that includes people of all ages from a variety of economic and ethnic backgrounds. For more information on the McDonald’s Williams Sisters Tour, please visit http://www.venusandserenawilliams.com/wst.
MCDONALD’S:
McDonald's USA, LLC, is the leading foodservice provider in the United States serving a variety of wholesome foods made from quality ingredients to millions of customers every day. More than 80 percent of McDonald's 13,700 U.S. restaurants are independently owned and operated by local franchisees. For nutritional information, please visit www.mcdonalds.com.
MCDONALD’S WORLD CHILDREN’S DAY®
Since 2002, McDonald's restaurants around the world have hosted an annual simultaneous fundraiser for children in their communities—World Children's Day. The event benefits local Ronald McDonald House Charities Chapters and other programs for children. U.S. restaurants have raised more than $16.2 million in funds for additional support for RMHC, its 134 local Chapters across the country, and their core programs—Ronald McDonald House, Ronald McDonald Family Room, and Ronald McDonald Care Mobile. They also help support the RMHC scholarship program and grants to other organizations that directly improve the health and well-being of children. This year, to commemorate McDonald's 50th anniversary, the System has committed to raising $50 million for children's causes worldwide.
RMHC (NEEDS TO BE CHECKED AND APPROVED):
Ronald McDonald House Charities (RMHC), a nonprofit, 501(c)3, creates, finds and supports programs that directly improve the health and well being of children. Its programs are grassroots-driven to enable the Charity to offer help where children need it most, right in their own communities. RMHC fulfills its mission by creating programs that address targeted needs, and by supporting these programs through its global network of more than 180 local Chapters in nearly 50 countries. RMHC and its local Chapters have awarded more than $400 million in grants and program services to children's programs around the world. For more information about Ronald McDonald House Charities and the Ronald McDonald House program, visit www.rmhc.org.
ABOUT MIKE PHILLIPS:
Mike Phillips happens to be the "Uncommon Denominator," a unifying thread having performed with the Grammy Award winning artists Stevie Wonder and Prince on his "Musicology" tour. He's a charismatic performer who can truly "inhabit" a song with artistry, dexterity, and the uncanny ability traverse a number of musical genres whether it's hip hop, jazz, groove, funk and R&B. Mike will be a featured with Stevie Wonder on "Good Morning America," "Live With Regis & Kelly," "Ellen," and "The View." Mike is the only non-athlete who is part of "Team Jordan" for the Air Jordan brand. His current album is entitled “Uncommon Denominator" and was released on the Hidden Beach Recordings label.
Event Date: 11/17/05
Event Title: McDonald's® Williams Sisters Tour Begins
Links:
http://www.venusandserenawilliams.com/wst
