For more than a decade, the USGA, through its Grants Initiative, has been creating opportunities in people's lives through golf and its values. To date, more than two million young people and individuals with disabilities have benefited from USGA support. More than $58 million in grants has been provided to support thousands of diverse non-profit organizations.
The USGA is the largest single financial supporter of The First Tee, having provided more than $21 million to the national organization and its many chapters. In 2007 alone, the USGA provided more than $5 million to 225 non-profit organizations and governmental entities.
More important than dollar figures and numbers of USGA-supported programs are the people involved with this collective effort that benefits hundreds of thousands program participants every year. In its grant-making efforts, the USGA has long relied on individuals we call Local Champions. These champions, through their dedication, passion, and perseverance, fulfill the mission of their local non-profit organizations. Additional types of individual champions are found in many other capacities throughout the USGA Grants Initiative and the many direct charitable activities undertaken by the Association, including the USGA Fellowship in Leadership and Service. Simply put, these champions make a difference in our society and the USGA is proud to partner with so many wonderful individuals for the benefit of this nation's children and individuals with disabilities. Following are just a few of their many inspirational stories.
Individuals who compete for a national championship are often themselves champions of a different sort. T.D. Luten, a competitor in the 2007 U.S. Mid-Amateur Championship, serves as a champion for kids in his role as executive director of The First Tee of the Triangle in North Carolina.
After working with The First Tee of Metropolitan New York, Luten joined The First Tee of the Triangle in 2005, a program developed with the help of USGA Executive Committee Member Jim Hyler. With the assistance of more than $60,000 in USGA funding, The First Tee of the Triangle reaches nearly 800 children and includes golf programs targeting kids with autism, girls, and children from service agencies. Through Luten's direction, participants progress through levels of golf instruction while encountering life values along the way. "Golf is a valuable game for all, regardless of background," remarks Luten, "The lessons instilled by the game will have a lasting impact on all who participate."
Successful programs that positively impact children depend upon dedicated and passionate leadership. Although he did not bring home the U.S. Mid-Amateur Championship trophy, Luten, through exemplary leadership, has continued to champion the cause of bringing the game of golf to all.
Mentor (n.) - 1. a wise and trusted counselor 2. an influential senior supporter.
No one understands the definition of mentor better than Renee Fluker, founder and executive director of The Midnight Golf Program. This Detroit, Mich., program began in 2001 reaching out to what Fluker calls the "forgotten" demographic group - minority young people ages 17 to 22. The USGA has provided more than $130,000 over the last six years in support of this program.
The mission of Midnight Golf is to change lives through the game of golf. In 2007, more than 125 young adults took part in the year-long program that provides instruction in golf and essential life skills such as financial literacy, college preparation, and community activism. The year culminates in the "Road Trip for Success" - a week-long experience combining golf opportunities with tours of some of
the nation's finest colleges and universities. More than 140 Midnight Golf alumni are attending, or have graduated
from college.
None of this would be possible without the support of the more than 20 community mentors who nurture and inspire Midnight Golf participants to reach higher. As one Midnight Golf alumna wrote of her mentor, Fluker, "There are so many people in the world who just talk about our generation and how lost we are. you are the only one who has actually tried to help."
As the Friends of American Lake Veterans Golf Course exemplify, giving back to the game and giving back to one's country are often one and
the same. Government funding for VA golf courses terminated in 1995, and the golf course near the American Lake Veterans Hospital, used largely for rehabilitative purposes, was in jeopardy. As a response, the non-profit Friends of American Lake Veterans Golf Course was formed with the goal to keep the course operational and accessible. The course is now entirely operated and maintained by approximately 130 volunteers, many of whom are highly-decorated veterans and all are committed to giving back to the game. A few years ago a team of volunteers with an average age of 76 installed a new irrigation system. In addition, the organization has raised approximately half a million dollars to invest in the course. These contributions include two USGA grants totaling $70,000 to make the teeing grounds more accessible for individuals with disabilities and to purchase single-rider golf carts. Led by President Harold "Pepper" Roberts, the Friends of American Lake Veterans also offers free weekly golf lessons and clinics geared toward veterans and active duty military personnel with disabilities. Roberts and Friends of American Lake are truly champions for the cause of accessibility, ensuring that soldiers, veterans, and individuals with disabilities have a course to call home.
Twenty-eight competitors in the 2007 U.S. Girls' Junior Championship shared one thing in common: participation in an LPGA-USGA Girls Golf program. The national initiative, administered by the LPGA Foundation and the USGA, aims to expose the game to girls, ages 7 to 17. These programs encourage girls to develop an interest in golf and its inherent values, preparing them for a lifetime of enjoyment of the game while building lasting friendships. This partnership, accelerated by the USGA's financial contributions of more than $1.2 million to the program since 1996, has brought the game of golf to more than 50,000 girls
nationwide.
Girls Golf programs throughout the country afford girls the chance to play golf in a fun, supportive environment. As evidenced by the 2007 U.S. Girls' Junior Championship field, the initiative's impact has spread beyond a basic introduction to the game. Girls Golf alumni, including LPGA Tour players Morgan Pressel and Brittany Lincicome, continue to serve as inspiring role models to program participants. Through the dedication of site directors, an increasing number of girls will have the opportunity to play golf.
From acquiring equipment and affordable access to volunteering with community organizations, the 2007 USGA-AJGA President's Youth Leadership Award winners showed a remarkable dedication to service. The USGA and the American Junior Golf Association collaborate to promote the development of junior golfers through community service. Through the USGA-AJGA Youth Leadership Club, AJGA members have the opportunity to give back to the game by volunteering for programs, including those supported with USGA grants.
Each year, the USGA and AJGA presidents recognize one boy and one girl with the President's Youth Leadership Award. In July 2007, Angela Villela of Sylmar, Calif., and Joseph Suarez of Richmond, Va., were honored as champions giving back to the game. Villela grew up in a Latino area of Los Angeles far removed from the game yet helped elevate her golf team to an undefeated season by raising funds to secure more adequate equipment and negotiating low-cost course access for her team. Suarez was introduced to the game through the USGA-supported initiative, Hook A Kid On Golf. He now volunteers at multiple organizations in his community, including Richmond's Hook A Kid On Golf clinics. Through dedicated efforts, Villela and Suarez exemplify what it means to be a champion by giving back to the game.
At 2 a.m. on June 15, participants from the Mound Street Military Academy began their journey from Dayton, Ohio, to a municipal course just outside Pittsburgh. The Academy's golf program is part of a career-based
curriculum which reaches high school dropouts. The weary-eyed group showed true championship spirit in making the five-hour trip to join more than 250 participants from USGA-supported programs for the 2007
U.S. Open Junior Day. This annual Catch the Spirit event is, for many kids, their first chance to experience one of golf's major championships.
The highlight for participants is the opportunity to see the best golfers in the world compete on a championship course. Patrick Monaghan brought nine kids with disabilities from the Woodland's Foundation golf program to the U.S. Open Junior Day. "Most kids in our program never get beyond a public golf course," said Monaghan. "This will be an eye-opening experience."
In 2007, the USGA also conducted Catch the Spirit events at the U.S. Women's Open Championship and the U.S. Senior Open Championship. Additionally, USGA championship host sites facilitated Catch the Spirit activities at the U.S. Women's Amateur Public Links, the U.S. Girls' Junior, the U.S. Women's Amateur and the U.S. Women's Mid-Amateur championships.
Champions are sometimes found in small packages. In Colorado Springs, Colo., nearly 100 little champions take part each spring and summer in the USGA-operated Pikes Peak Linkers junior golf program for economically disadvantaged and minority children. USGA Fellows conduct the program, managing the fundraising, planning, and recruiting for Pikes Peak Linkers. By operating a junior golf program, USGA Fellows are given hands-on experience and share in the successes and challenges of USGA-supported programs nationwide.
The no-cost Pikes Peak Linkers program includes instruction, course and range access, education on etiquette and the Rules of Golf, and life lessons. In 2007, participants watched and played more golf outside of programming as the season progressed, with nearly a quarter visiting the course or driving range at least once per week. Improvement was also measured in golf skill.
By exhibiting perfect attendance, diligence in submitting written homework assignments, and overall quality of character, participants had the opportunity to earn a set of golf clubs. A total of 67 Pikes
Peak Linkers champions consistently showed these values of responsibility in 2007 and earned their own equipment.
A group of dedicated volunteers help make possible a USGA-operated program for students of the Colorado School for the Deaf and the Blind in Colorado Springs, Colo. Fourteen volunteers from the Monument Hill Sertoma Club devote their time assisting in every facet of the 10-year-old
program, which in 2007 served 16 students with hearing impairments and four with vision impairments.
Throughout the 11-week program, Monument Hill Sertoma Club volunteers assist with instruction and serve as sighted guides to students with vision impairments. These invaluable volunteers also monitor the participants' play on the course and share with them their appreciation for the game and its values. Through their compassion, Sertoma Club members quickly become friends and mentors to high school students with relatively few community inclusion opportunities, providing an unforgettable and meaningful experience.
In 2007, for the first time, USGA Fellows who conduct the program underwent American Sign Language training focused on a vocabulary geared toward golf instruction.
The USGA Fellowship is an innovative, two-year program designed to challenge recent college graduates and prepare them for future leadership roles. USGA Fellows serve as primary contacts for USGA-supported programs, as well as participate in a professional development curriculum and facilitate many of the USGA's direct charitable activities and national partnerships.
In 2007, to celebrate 10 years of the Fellowship, a reunion was held in Colorado Springs, Colo. Thirty-eight of the 48 alumni Fellows returned for a weekend of activities and USGA updates.
USGA alumni Fellows have pursued many different career paths, including golf administration, non-profit management, finance, media relations, public health and business consulting, as well as graduate studies in business, law, medicine and golf history. More than half of alumni Fellows not in graduate school work in the non-profit or government sectors. Ninety-three percent of alumni Fellows considered the Fellowship experience to be very good or excellent in terms of contributing to their current career.
The primary purpose of the Fellowship is to engage Fellows in philanthropic activity throughout their lives, whether it be through their careers, volunteerism, or charitable donations. In 2007, four of five alumni Fellows volunteered with a charitable organization as compared to one of five individuals in the general population. One such alumnus is Andy Phipps, who worked as a Fellow from 2000 through 2003. During his time with the Fellowship, Andy was instrumental in managing the operation of the USGA Resource Center for Individuals with Disabilities, a Web site designed to make the game of golf more accessible for individuals with disabilities by providing information to golfers with disabilities and other interested parties. Now an MBA student at Kellogg School of Business at Northwestern University, Andy actively volunteers his time, sitting on the USGA Resource Center Advisory Board and serving as the Treasurer of the National Alliance for Accessible Golf.
USGA Fellowship alumna Kimberly Brown's relationship with the game started at a young age when she was a participant in a USGA-supported program, Renaissance Junior Golf, in Newark, N.J. Similar to many USGA Fellow alumni, she played golf, similar to many USGA Fellows, at Yale University. Upon leaving the Fellowship in 2006, Kimberly began working for The First Tee of Greater Seattle, where she is now the assistant director and helps with fundraising, program development, and instructing the chapter's LPGA-USGA Girls Golf program.
Both Andy and Kimberly personify what the USGA Fellowship is about. They are part of a network of Fellowship alumni who are striving to make a difference in their respective communities using the skills developed during their time in the USGA Fellowship in Leadership and Service.
