In wake of fires, Shriver helps communities rally

Tennis great part of organization that revitalizes parks and schools in Pacific Palisades and Altadena.

- By Sam FaRMER

"IT'S ABOUT lifting up places," says Pam Shriver, standing on a damaged court.

‘The tennis balll, an undisturbed artifact of a horrific wildfire, sat just off the Pacific Palisades court and was so covered in gray ash that its Penn logo was only faintly visible.

Pam Shriver studied it the way she might a precious archaeological discovery.

“I find that so moving,” the Hall of Fame tennis player said. “The ball survived.”

Allofthisis intensely personal to Shriver, as it is to millions of Southern Californians. She lives in Brentwood and though she was evacuated in the January fires, her home was spared. Still, more friends and families than she can count were not so fortunate.

That has been the driving force for her the past eight months, how she can use tennis and her influence to help rebuild the communities most severely affected by the catastrophic flames.

“Tennis brings people together,” said Shriver, part of ESPN's U.S. Open broadcast team. “It gets families moving. It creates a sense of normalcy.”