For the second time this century a Palmairen has been recognized for extraordinary volunteerism.
Alan Abram received the award in August for his many hours of work with the Scleroderma Foundation and the many other charities to which he unselfishly devotes his time, and the category for his involvement is Healthcare Education, Provider, and Advocacy.
Established in February 2000, the Governor's Points of Light Award program recognizes those Florida residents and organizations that demonstrate exemplary volunteer service to their community. Recipients have ranged in age from 6 years to 101 years old and have included individuals, groups, nonprofit organizations, corporations, and businesses. The common thread is their love of their community and their belief that through volunteering, they can make a positive impact. Their commitment is what Governor Bush wants to recognize through the Points of Light Award program.
Honorees receive a congratulatory letter from Governor Bush and a certificate acknowledging their
leadership and designating their award number (example: Point of Light, Number 126). Additionally, in the fall of each year, Governor and Mrs. Bush honor award recipients
from the past year with a reception at the Governor's Mansion.
Will tennis survive in Palm-Aire?
In the 1970's, tennis was big in the United States. With television viewers numbered in the millions, who gathered to watch the likes of Chris Evert, John McEnroe, and Jimmy Connors. That same enthusiasm spilled over to the local venues, where high school students played daily and adults joined clubs by the dozens. These players bought expensive tennis rackets and outfits. They formed and joined tennis clubs, and paid large sums of money to do so.
Fast forward to the present. Tennis has a small national following on television, and in Palm-Aire, it is barely existent, with fewer than one hundred members in the current incarnation of the Palm-Aire Tennis Club. With the Alltech Group's purchase of the tennis court acreage and their teaming with Lennar for building the two condominiums on the site, the Tennis Club has gotten nervous about the future of tennis in Palm-Aire. The club has attempted to increase its membership; it even negotiated a large decrease in the cost of joining the Palm-Aire Tennis Club, with the strategy being that a smaller cost would lead to more members. So far, the number of new members has grown sufficiently to support the continuation of the program, or so it seems. The Alltech Group continues to subsidize the program, but they cannot be expected to supply blood, indefinitely, while the patient hemorrhages to death.
Who knows what the future holds. Perhaps a Category 5 hurricane will slam Pompano Beach and the decision will be taken away from the residents. Other options are limited however. The Tennis Club could purchase enough of the total acreage to maintain the courts, but with the cost of property in Broward County, that seems a slim probability. One other possibility is that the City of Pompano Beach will purchase the property, convert the Palm-Aire tennis courts to public property, and allow city residents to play. This is another slim probability, again because of the cost of the property. It is however, the most likely means of saving tennis in Palm-Aire, according to District 5 Commissioner Brummer.
What remains is for some creative, out of the box thinking and negotiating with the Alltech Group, to convince them that saving the tennis courts is a "good neighbor" gesture, which brings us back to the hemorrhaging. Failing that, Palm-Aire may only be a golfing community.