RBC Wealth Management, a full-service investment firm, has been announced as the title sponsor of the RBC Pro Challenge, a Women's $80,000 USTA Pro Circuit event to be hosted at the Drysdale-managed Tyler Athletic and Swim Club. ACEing Autism will serve as the tournament beneficiary, with a portion of all proceeds going to the national non-profit that connects children on the autistic spectrum to tennis.
"We are thrilled to welcome RBC Wealth Management as our title sponsor," said Scott McCulloch, Vice President of Operations for Tyler Athletic and Swim Club. " RBC's commitment to professional tennis in Tyler, and our beneficiary ACEing Autism, is deeply appreciated."
Proceeds from the tournament will be used towards establishing a new ACEing Autism program at the Tyler Athletic and Swim Club.
“At RBC Wealth Management, our culture is deeply rooted in supporting our communities, and we are extremely proud to be the title sponsor of the RBC Pro Challenge,” said Ken Dunn, RBC Senior Vice President - Financial Advisor. “We are a strong supporter of ACEing Autism, and want to continue to be a trusted partner to both our clients and our community,” said Thomas Smith, Managing Director of RBC’s Tyler branch.
The first annual RBC Pro Challenge will be held October 29 – November 5, and is one of three qualifying tournaments in the USTA's Australian Open Wild Card Challenge. The woman who earns the most WTA ranking points at two of three tournaments (Macon, Tyler, Waco) will earn a main draw wild card into the 2018 Australian Open.
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For event and ticket information, please contact Scott McCulloch at s.mcculloch@cliffdrysdale.com.
For sponsorship information and inquiries, contact Kimberly Arena at k.arena@cliffdrysdale.com.
For media inquiries, please contact Joey Hanf at j.hanf@cliffdrysdale.com.
About the USTA Pro Circuit
With approximately 90 tournaments hosted annually throughout the country and prize money ranging from $15,000 to $125,000, the USTA Pro Circuit is the pathway to the US Open and tour level competition for aspiring tennis players and a frequent battleground for established professionals. The USTA launched its Pro Circuit 38 years ago to provide players with the opportunity to gain professional ranking points, and it has since grown to become the largest developmental tennis circuit in the world, offering more than $3 million in prize money. Last year, more than 1,000 men and women from more than 70 countries competed in cities nationwide. Andy Murray, Maria Sharapova, John Isner, Sloane Stephens, Kei Nishikori, Victoria Azarenka, and Sam Querrey are among today's top stars who began their careers on the USTA Pro Circuit.
About RBC Wealth Management
Royal Bank of Canada is a multinational financial services company, serving over 16 million clients with 80,000 employees worldwide. In the United States, RBC Wealth Management operates as a division of RBC Capital Markets, LLC. Founded in 1909, RBC Capital Markets, LLC. is a member of the New York Stock Exchange, the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority, the Securities Investor Protection Corporation, and other major securities exchanges. RBC Wealth Management has $310 billion in total client assets with approximately 1,800 financial advisors operating in 200 locations.
RBC Wealth Management is proud to support the USTA through title sponsorships of RBC Tennis Championships of Dallas and RBC Pro Challenge in Tyler, TX.
About ACEing Autism
ACEing Autism was founded in the summer of 2008 by Richard Spurling & Dr. Shafali Jeste in Boston, MA. as a family run organization with the invaluable efforts of its volunteers & supporters. They launched their first program at The Longfellow Club, Wayland (MA) with 15 children. In the spring of 2009 we added a second location, The Weymouth Club in Weymouth (MA). Richard quickly realized that he could greatly enhance the lives of children and families with autism through tennis, and he made a commitment to dedicate his career to the development and expansion of ACEing Autism.
In early 2010, Shafali was recruited to the UCLA Center for Autism Research and Treatment, a center that has been a leader in the field of autism research for decades. Shafali and Richard relocated to Los Angeles in 2010, and since then Richard has focused on program development and expansion. ACEing Autism currently services more than 1000 children with autism across 50+ locations nationwide.
ACEing Autism's success lies in their commitment to tailoring the program to the needs of each individual child with autism. In 2013 Richard was honored with the USPTR’s Humanitarian of Year Award for his work building this program and in August 2014 ACEing Autism was given the USTA’s Community Service Award. For more information, visit www.aceingautism.org