On August 21, a select group of underserved children will have the unique opportunity to participate in a free tennis clinic with Israeli tennis star Shahar Peer. One of the world's top female tennis players, Peer is currently ranked 25th on the WTA Tour. The clinic will be held at Kissena Park (Kissena Blvd and Rose Ave) in Flushing, Queens at 2:00pm.

Peer is extremely excited to participate in the clinic, which is organized by the Consulate General of Israel in New York in collaboration with the New York City Sports Commission and the CityParks Foundation. Despite her intense preparations for the US Open, Peer eagerly agreed to take time away from training in order to lend her time and expertise to the clinic.

"The Consulate General of Israel is very happy that we have the opportunity to arrange this workshop for New York City kids with Shahar Peer," said Asaf Shariv, Consul General of Israel to New York. "As these kids prepare to go back to school, I am sure that this tennis workshop will be one of their summer highlights."

"Shahar Peer is one of the world's top-ranked tennis players and we are very fortunate that she is willing to take a break from her preparations for the US Open to conduct a free clinic for some of New York City's underserved children," said New York City Sports Commissioner Kenneth Podziba. "These children are in for a real treat as they will have an opportunity to get some tips from a world class tennis player and have the opportunity to hit with her. Perhaps one of these youngsters will be fortunate enough to follow in Shahar's footsteps and someday play in the US Open."

"Our CityParks Tennis program presented by Chase helps thousands of local youth to stay active and healthy while learning a sport they can enjoy their whole lives," said Mike Silverman, Director of Sports Programs for CityParks Foundation. "We're pleased that these youth can also learn from one of the world's outstanding tennis professionals today, Shahar Peer, and we thank the Consulate General of Israel in New York in collaboration with the New York City Sports Commission for making this possible."

"There is nothing like sports to bring people together," said David Saranga, Consul for Media Relations and Public Affairs at the Israeli Consulate. "It is especially meaningful when we are able to bring together children of different ethnicities with a similar interest: tennis."

CityParks Tennis presented by Chase provides free tennis programs to thousands of children (5-16) each year at 37 parks throughout the five boroughs. Opportunities include free beginner lessons, tournaments, leagues, excellence programs and special events. The program is designed to make the sport of tennis freely available to those who want to learn the game in a fun, relaxed environment. CityParks Foundation is the only independent, nonprofit organization to offer park programs throughout the five boroughs of New York City. Its programs and community-building initiatives reach more than 600,000 New Yorkers each year, contributing to the revitalization of neighborhoods throughout New York City.

The New York City Sports Commission is the mayoral agency charged with attracting, facilitating and promoting professional, amateur and scholastic sports events in New York City. In recent years, the Sports Commission has played a role in creating or developing many new sporting events, including the NFL Kickoff Live from Times Square, NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series™ Champions Week, the BMC Software NYC Cycling Championship, the AVP Brooklyn Open, the NAUTICA NYC Triathlon, the NYC Half-Marathon, the Union Square Street Sessions presented by Jeep®, the Wild Onion Urban Adventure Race, and the Men's Health Urbanathlon.