Pleasant Dale tennis coach serves up cancer fund-raiser
By WYNN KOEBEL FOSTER wfoster@pioneerlocal.com June 9, 2011 3:34PM
Updated: August 4, 2011 4:20PM
Bobby Burke, 17, is offering area tennis players a chance to perfect their backhands and feel very good about it. For a suggested donation of $15 to the American Cancer Society, he’ll provide a 30-minute private tennis lesson or rallying session for a child or an adult. Each participant will receive an “I rallied for a cure” tennis racquet certificate with their name and participant date noted.
Burke teaches tennis at the Pleasant Dale Park District and the Western Springs Park District. This year is his fourth at Pleasant Dale and his second at Western Springs.
He started learning tennis at the Western Springs Park District when he was 10 or 11. He continued learning at a number of other park districts and clubs.
“My whole family plays,” he said.
Burke just completed his junior year at Lyons Township High School, where he plays singles and doubles on the tennis team. He also plays in U.S. Tennis Association sanctioned tournaments. On Saturday, he and his doubles partner placed third in their conference.
“I’m doing pretty well,” he admitted.
Since tennis is his sport and fighting cancer is his cause, he thought combining the two into private tennis lessons for funds for the American Cancer Society was a good fit.
Burke lives in Willow Springs with his father, Bob, a lawyer; his mother, Deirdre, a musician and educator; his sisters, Hadley, 18, and Brynn, 15; and his brothers, Cuyler, 14, and Tanner, 11.
They all inherited their mother’s commitment to fighting cancer. A violinist, she works as an oncology music therapist at Loyola Medical Center and the Ronald McDonald House, and she often brings her children along to entertain patients and their families and to raise money to fight cancer.
“During the holidays, we did Christmas Carols for a Cure,” Burke said. “The whole family got involved.”
Hadley plays violin; Brynn, flute; Cuyler, clarinet and guitar; and Tanner, trumpet. Bobby plays drums. Everyone plays piano.
“I could teach them until they were about 5 years old,” said Deirdre, who also teaches orchestra at Pleasantdale Elementary School.”After that, We figured a private teacher was called for.”
Burke learned some of his instruments from his mother, some at school and some from private music teacher Mary Beth Tokarz.
A cure for cancer remains a preoccupation of Burke’s.
“Earlier this year, I served as an event guide for a cancer walk in downtown Chicago,” Burke said. “I staffed a booth and gave directions to people who asked.”
When he isn’t thinking about tennis or music or cures for cancer, Burke is considering which college to attend. He’s weighing Pepperdine against the University of Michigan, the University of Illinois against Northwestern.
“I’d like to major in business, marketing or economics,” he said. “I’d like to play tennis in college, but tennis at the college level is pretty competitive. I might just want to concentrate on grades.”
But if someone were to offer him a full-tuition tennis scholarship?
“I’d find it hard to turn it down,” he grinned.
Call Burke at (708) 420-2218 to arrange for a private lesson or rallying session.
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