Benator provides welcome sight in Mali...

Rachel Benator, who won the Smith Grand Prix Challenge top award for women's 3.5 singles and doubles at the end of last year is more than a top Utah tennis player. At work they call her Doctor. She is part of a group of Utah volunteers who went to Ouelessebougou, Mali last January to provide eye care and surgery to the people of West Africa."It was quite an experience to perform surgery in a room with flypaper hanging from the ceiling, mosquito netting over the windows, braying donkeys in the courtyard and a guard at the door to keep the children and goats out, " Benator said.

The trip was supported by the Ouelessebougou-Utah Alliance under the umbrella of the Salt Lake City Community Service Council. The Alliance concentrates on four areas: digging wells, planting and fencing gardens, establishing literacy programs in each village and providing basic health care. Comments from patients after surgery, relayed by an interpreter, indicated the impact of the team's efforts "This is the first time I've seen my granddaughter," one patient said. "Even the light is beautiful now." "On our daily walks from our sleeping quarters to the medical compound, "Benator says, "we passed villagers preparing for the day. Children played and laughed, full or energy and mischief, like children everywhere. "We provided them with crayons and paper and they, in turn, gave us drawings and hugs to cherish,' she says.

Benator, who barely missed winning the 1993 Utah Female Player of the Year honor, has collected treasures in both parts of her life, not unlike many recreational tennis players. Next time you finish a match with a new face, ask about off-court treasures. Maybe Benator will show you some of her drawing