Rallying For Our Friend and Tennis Pro, Mark Blume

Hi, my name is Keith Buck and I’m raising funds to help Mark Blume rally against his recent diagnosis of advanced lung cancer. All the funds raised will go to Mark and his family for immediate help with ongoing medical costs.

If you have been part of the Iowa adult or junior tennis community in the past 25 plus years, chances are you know the name Mark Blume (pronounced "Bloom Ah"). I met Mark when I returned to the Des Moines area right at the beginning of the pandemic in the Spring of 2020. It was Mark, the Adult Tennis Director at the Genesis Health Club, who introduced me to and helped me become active in the Des Moines tennis community by co-captaining several USTA tennis teams with me. This meant and continues to mean a lot to me.

My story is not unique. I hear similar stories regarding Mark’s influence with player’s tennis experiences all around me…all the time! Mark started playing tennis when he was just 4 years old and has been playing, instructing, and coaching ever since. He goes above and beyond in making connections among players and helping those passionate about the sport we all love continue to improve and have fun along the way. It is no wonder that Mark won the USPTA’s (United States Professional Tennis Association) Professional of the Year in Iowa in 2022.

The tennis community has benefited greatly from Mark’s leadership, dedication and contributions over the past 25 years so please consider contributing, a pay it back and a pay it forward moment of giving, to Mark and his family. Let’s rally and show Mark and his family (wife, Jen, and three children; Payton, Brynn and Jameson) some tennis LOVE! At the conclusion of this gofundme fundraiser in May, Mark and his family will presented with a cashier’s check equal to the amount of the funds raised.