[FLUSHING, New York] – He had his eyes focused on landing in Bermuda, but his rowboat sank shortly after setting off from Cape Verde in 2011. He survived 14 days on a life raft before being rescued in open water. On his fourth try, he completed his dream of rowing from Africa to Brooklyn (New York) for AIDS awareness, a first for an African American. Now, Don Victor Mooney, of Kew Gardens Hills, Queens, President of H.R. 1242 Resilience Project, is collecting tennis rackets, balls, and school supplies for children during the US Open.
Campaign Operation Arthur Ashe
The campaign is dubbed: Operation Arthur Ashe. Arthur Ashe championed the power of books and the tennis court. Ashe was the first Black tennis player to win singles titles at the US Open, the Australian open and Wimbledon. On the eve of the US Open, Mooney convened a prayer vigil at USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center, home of the US Open in honor of Arthur Ashe’s advocacy for HIV/AIDS.
Arthur Ashe’s fight against AIDS remembered at prayer vigil ahead of US Open click to watch: https://youtu.be/UaeKs5Y3cmM
Serving up Education and Tennis at US Open
The collection and packing campaign will end on September 12. Outside of New York, the tennis bags will be distributed in the United States. Mooney looks to deliver some of those tennis bags to Bermuda. This time, I don’t have to row to Hamilton. The students in Bermuda continue to embody great resilience during the wake of this pandemic, said Mooney.
