hjtep.org\/gala<\/a><\/p>\nESPN analyst Patrick McEnroe will emcee the star-studded gala celebrating the achievements of over 1,200 young people who benefit each year from HJTEP\u2019s tennis and education programs.\u00a0 Both a live and silent auction will raise critical funds needed to support these programs.<\/p>\n
Parkway Venture Capital founders Jesse Coors-Blankenship\u00a0and\u00a0Gregg Hill\u00a0will be recognized with the\u00a0HJTEP Corporate Award\u00a0for their role in advancing the organization\u2019s mission.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe impact HJTEP has made over the past 50+ years is a direct result of the generosity and dedication of individuals like Joakim and partners such as Parkway Venture Capital,\u201d said HJTEP Executive Director Katrina Adams. \u201cThis event is a special opportunity to celebrate those contributions, connect our supporters with the young people whose lives are being shaped by our programs, and generate critical support for the future of our mission.\u201d<\/p>\n
The\u00a0Shining Star Award\u00a0honors Noah for his unwavering support of HJTEP and for consistently stepping up when the organization needed him most over nearly two decades. He retired from the NBA in 2020 following a distinguished 13-year career that included two NBA All-Star selections, the 2014 NBA Defensive Player of the Year award, and the 2015 J. Walter Kennedy Citizenship Award. Drafted ninth overall by Chicago in the 2007 NBA Draft, he entered the league after leading the University of Florida to back-to-back NCAA Championships.<\/p>\n
The son of 1983 French Open champion and International Tennis Hall of Famer Yannick Noah, Joakim grew up immersed in elite tennis. He credits his father\u2019s discipline and rigorous training as foundational to the work ethic that defined his own professional career and his continued commitment to giving back.<\/p>\n
Here\u2019s the HJTEP news release on its 54th annual Gala:<\/p>\n
There will be live and silent auctions that evening to raise valuable funds. The live auction, always a highlight of the night and a cornerstone of our fundraising efforts, will feature a variety of exclusive packages, ranging from private club memberships to once-in-a-lifetime trips and premier tennis experiences, including behind-the-scenes access to major tournaments, private lessons with top professionals, and VIP hospitality packages, including:<\/p>\n
Exclusive Flyfish Club Membership + Private Dining Experience with Chef Josh Capon
2027 BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells Package
2026 US Open ESPN Experience\u00a0with\u00a0James Blake\u00a0and\u00a0hotel accommodations
Luxury Villa Getaways\u00a0to Riviera Maya or Puerto Nuevo Vallarta<\/p>\n
This is a snippet of what the silent auction will feature:
Martha\u2019s Vineyard Paradise: A four-bedroom house in Vineyard Haven, the perfect blend of luxury, leisure, and laid-back New England style<\/p>\n
Private Tennis Lesson with Anna Tatishvili\u00a0at the River Club
Tulum Luxury Getaway:\u00a07-night stay in a luxury villa in the heart of Tulum, accommodations for up to 8 guests<\/p>\n
Tennis Lab FX Package:\u00a0Including custom-tailored stringing and much more
Additionally,there will be an in-house raffle, featuring an 18k white gold diamond bracelet, valued at $19,975.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"By Richard Pagliaro | Thursday, April 16, 2026Photo credit: Harlem Junior Tennis & Education Program Hoops and hope…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":199491,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[8],"tags":[9,56,63,65,64],"class_list":{"0":"post-199546","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-new-york-city","8":"tag-new-york","9":"tag-ny","10":"tag-nyc","11":"tag-nyc-headlines","12":"tag-nyc-news"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/199546","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=199546"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/199546\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/199491"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=199546"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=199546"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=199546"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
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