Ukrainian Family Now in Apopka Receives Support from Local Tennis Community, Apopka Mayor

MEDIA ADVISORY

Ukrainian Family Now in Apopka Receives Support from Local Tennis Community, Apopka Mayor

March 11, 2022 – Orlando, FL – The tennis community of Apopka has launched a fundraising campaign to support a family that recently arrived from Ukraine. Apopka Mayor Bryan Nelson will meet the family at the city’s tennis courts at 4:30 p.m. today.

The Gerbut family – mom Yulia and sons Maksym, 14, and Mykyta, 12 -- fled their beloved home country in late February, after the invasion by Russia, and are now living with a host family in Apopka.

Within days of their arrival in Central Florida, Yulia sought to create a sense of normalcy for her sons by enrolling them in school and engaging them in the kinds of programs they enjoyed in Ukraine. Maksym and Mykyta both are tennis players, so Yulia connected with Tennis Galaxy, which provides scholarships to those in need for its tennis programs in Apopka. The Gerbut sons started tennis classes this week and have been welcomed by other youth players into the Tennis Galaxy juniors’ program.

During tennis classes this afternoon, Apopka Mayor Bryan Nelson and Tennis Galaxy founder Peter Fazekas will meet with the family to offer ongoing support. Tennis Galaxy is launching a campaign to help pay for the family’s living expenses; donations can be made at www.galaxytennis.com.