DOHA, Qatar - The grand prize winner of the 2009 Heroes Among Us contest, Suniti Marathe, was honored during the Sony Ericsson WTA Tour Year-End Party at the Ritz Carlton in Doha last Saturday night.
Marathe had received a prize package for two to attend the Sony Ericsson Championships - Doha 2009, including tickets to the final, roundtrip airline tickets, accommodation, transportation, behind-the-scenes access at the tournament and tickets to the party.
Marathe, who has taught high school out of her home for more than 20 years, received the honor for her leadership and commitment to serving as a role model and mentor to young people in Goa, India. Fans selected her out of five finalists in an online vote, which took place on the Tour's official website between September 28 and October 5.
Marathe's son, Ajit, nominated his mother because of her commitment to educating youth in local villages: "She has gotten many kids in our area to read good books," he said. "If books are not available in her library, she personally takes the kids to bigger libraries. Every person in our area recognizes her not only as a good teacher but as a good person."
The Heroes Among Us program follows in the footsteps of the Tour's landmark global partnership with the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) to raise awareness of gender equality issues and create leadership opportunities for women. Venus Williams, along with fellow Tour players Vera Zvonareva, Tatiana Golovin and Zheng Jie, and Tour Founder and tennis legend Billie Jean King, serve as UNESCO Promoters of Gender Equality to help raise awareness about issues of importance to women worldwide, and to create leadership opportunities for women through the funding of programs in Cameroon, Liberia, Dominican Republic, China, Jordan and the United States.
