Pine Tree Apple Classic Fund Awards Its Largest Gift Ever To Children's Minnesota!

Pine Tree Apple Classic Fund President Kevin Werwie and its Board of Directors presented doctors and staff at Children’s Minnesota with a check for $460,000 supporting targeted children’s cancer research and rehabilitation efforts for the largest pediatric cancer and blood disorders program in the upper Midwest. Children’s Minnesota COO Dr. Marc Gorelick and Senior Vice President and Chief Development Officer and President of Children’s Minnesota Foundation Jennifer Soderholm, among others, accepted the gift on behalf of Children’s Minnesota.

Funds were raised as part of the 2024 Pine Tree Apple Tennis Classic, which took place August 1-4, 2024, at Life Time in White Bear Lake, Minn. Celebrating its 39th anniversary this year, the event raised over $600,000. 

The allocation of the $460,000 will be distributed between three different initiatives including the Pine Tree Apple Tennis Classic Endowed Chair in Cancer and Blood Disorders Operating Fund ($160,000) and the Pine Tree Apple Classic Endowment Fund ($150,000) supporting targeted research needs of DICER1 related tumors and coping with the long-term effects of cancer treatment. 

The remaining funds ($150,000) will support a new partnership announced between Pine Tree Apple Classic Fund and Children’s Minnesota in August - the Hematology, Oncology Point of Care through Survivorship Research Endowment Fund. This new endowment funds much-needed research initiatives by nurses and advanced practice practitioners aimed at addressing any stage of a patient’s care journey with a focus on the unique long-term physical, mental and social challenges patients can face months or years after completing cancer treatment. 

“We are thrilled to donate a record amount of $460,000 to Children’s Minnesota this year and not only continue the incredible outcomes being generated from the rare tumor registries and rehabilitation research, but also add a third area of research with the Hematology, Oncology Point of Care through Survivorship Research Endowment Fund,” Werwie said. “We are so thankful to all Pine Tree sponsors, donors, tennis players and volunteers for their continued generosity and support of our mission and these targeted research areas. The Pine Tree Apple Classic Fund is proud to partner with Children’s Minnesota and build on its impressive 100-year legacy of exceptional care for children and promise for a better future.”

​Since 1986, the Pine Tree Apple Tennis Classic has raised over $8.5 million for childhood cancer research efforts at Children’s Minnesota and around the world, and since becoming a non-profit entity in 2018, Pine Tree Apple Classic Fund has generated almost $2 million. 

“The Pine Tree Apple Classic Fund and the tennis tournament continue to amaze everyone at Children’s Minnesota by finding new and innovative ways to make a difference in the lives of the patients and families we serve,” Soderholm said. “We are profoundly grateful for your remarkable decades-long partnership.”

The 40th Anniversary of the Pine Tree Apple Tennis Classic is scheduled for July 31-August 3, 2025, at Life Time in White Bear, Minn. Details about the tournament, and how to get involved in this amazing event, are available at www.ptacf.org.