Gilford Hills Tennis & Fitness Club has been a supporter of the Greater Lakes Region Children’s Auction for many years. Missi Perkins, the Club Director, says they started out at the phone bank, and being a collection site for donations. They have held several events through the years, to include a Spin-a-thon, Thanksgiving Mega workout, and team donation events. Jennifer Kelley is an avid tennis and fitness member at Gilford Hills, and once she became the Executive Director of the auction, they stepped it up by hosting an annual day long tennis tournament to benefit the auction. Each year, Perkins and Heidi Bourgeois (owner) present a check of the tennis tournament profits. She loves being on the auction set, and feeling all the positive energy from community members. She says she never knows what to expect, like the year she was persuaded to teach an impromptu kickboxing class on air.
It was Missi Perkins who connected Jennifer Kelley and Allan Beetle, who at that time was a board member seeking to hire a part time Director for the auction. Kelley forever thanks Perkins for connecting them, and creating Kelley’s purpose when she moved full time to the area in 2017.
Missi Perkins views Gilford Hills as a mini-Lakes Region Community, with all ages and fitness levels interacting together in a healthy environment. She describes grandparents in fitness classes or playing tennis and pickleball while their grandkids attend tennis camps, or workout in the weight room, and every age in between playing basketball, tennis, taking fitness classes and getting fit. She sees interactions between the ages in the facility, and hopes their conversations expand each other’s view on life. The club offers discounted rates to local high school and college students, while providing a safe place to establish and enforce lifelong healthy habits while being social with their friends. She says there are 3 teams of current and former Gilford High school basketball players in the Summer Men’s Basketball league this year, and says it is rewarding to see the different age groups playing with former athletes from other surrounding Lakes Region towns in a fun, competitive league.
Perkins invites the community to come join their annual Tennis Tournament on Sunday, Nov 10, 2024 starting at 8am to benefit the Greater Lakes Region Children's Auction.
Perkins says the club has a broad base of members from every walk of life, some of whom may have experienced hard times themselves, and appreciate finding a way to give back to the community through the auction. Being at Gilford Hills Tennis and Fitness Club means being able to be healthy and well, while also doing good. The Greater Lakes Region Children’s Auction thanks Gilford Hills for their ongoing support.
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