14-year-old Dilan Shingadia, freshman at North Gwinnett High School, recently organized a parent-child tennis round robin fundraiser. The event, held August 9 in Edinburgh subdivision in Suwanee, featured a morning of back-to-school tennis fun for a cause. Kids of all levels of play, from 10-year-old beginners to high school varsity players, partnered with their parents and siblings and came together to increase allergy awareness and raise money for Food Allergy Research & Awareness (FARE). All money raised was donated to FARE and will be used to create safe treat boxes for kindergarten students with food allergies at Riverside Elementary School. Dilan, a life-long sufferer of severe food allergies, understands the difficulties faced by school-aged children struggling to deal with their allergies and the anxiety associated with them. As an avid tennis player, he hoped to combine his love for tennis with his desire to support research toward a cure, and help educate his community about how impactful and difficult life with severe food allergies can be. The event, which consisted of 40-plus players, three to five matches per partners, trophies, and an enormous breakfast spread including allergy-friendly foods donated by Edinburgh HOA and the community, raised more than $850. Dilan hopes to make the fundraiser an annual tradition, and one day create his own charity servicing children with life-threatening food allergies.
