05/21/2026
🎾 What is the Pine Tree Apple Tennis Classic?
It all started in 1986, when Ron and Mary Ann Peterson’s 12-year-old daughter, Julieann, was diagnosed with leukemia. Grateful for the care she received at Children’s Minnesota, they wanted to give back — and the idea for a tennis tournament with a purpose was born.
With help from the Jacobson family of the Pine Tree Apple Orchard, the first Pine Tree Apple Tennis Classic raised $15,000 for pediatric cancer research. That first tournament planted the seed for something much bigger, and now, 40 years later, the Pine Tree Apple Tennis Classic continues to unite a community around hope, healing, and the fight to end childhood cancer.
Since that first tournament, we have raised more than $8.6 million to support groundbreaking cancer research at Children’s Minnesota — helping to create treatment protocols, build tumor registries, and improve survival outcomes for kids around the world.
Throughout the weekend, we hear the stories of our Honored Patients and Honored Angels. These are kids who are courageously fighting cancer and those we hold in our hearts. Their strength brings the mission to life and reminds us what we are fighting for.
