INSPIRE
INFLUENCE
IMPACT
Newsletter
January - March 2014
Volume I Issue 1
Welcome to The First Tee of Idaho
2013 YEAR IN REVIEW
2013 FACTS
2013 was a fun-filled and fast-paced year at The First Tee of
Idaho. Despite the closure of Foxtail (65% of our Life Skills
Experience classes), we offered 41 LSE classes in six locations
throughout the Treasure Valley. We were very pleased with
the amount of participants in the classes. There was an
immense amount of improvement not only in participant’s golf
skills, but life skills as well.
Participants in program
372
Participants that certified
60
Participants A/B Honor Roll (Spring)
24
Participants in our Second Chance Program 21
Outreach Participants
6,000
Coaches
9
Volunteer Coaches
32
2013 CIRCLE OF CHAMPIONS AWARDS
September 14th, The First Tee of Idaho held its first awards banquet. News Anchorman, Mark Johnson from Channel 7 news
was our Master of Ceremonies. Over 100 parents, participants, friends, families, volunteers and coaches were in attendance.
The First Tee Congratulates the following honorees:
The First Tee Nine Core Values Awards
The First Tee Coaches and Volunteers of the Year
HONESTY: Landen Gerrish/Colby Ludwig
INTEGRITY: A.J. Edwards/Natalie Gonzales
SPORTSMANSHIP: Josh Arvin/Heather Kivi/Ryland Lofto
RESPECT: Preston Barnes/Camden Hyde/Julia Wolfe
CONFIDENCE: Hallie Campbell/Britni Olano
RESPONSIBILITY: Eliza Fieselman/Trevor Hunt
PERSEVERANCE: Wyatt Allen/Natalie Mullins
COURTSEY: Claire Campbell/Ashley Hoppe/Hunter McAdams
JUDGMENT: Parker Erway/Jeran Lofto
VOLUNTEER COACH OF THE YEAR: Craige Naylor
TEEN VOLUNTEER COACH OF THE YEAR: Natalie Mullins
RECOGNIZED VOLUNTEER OF THE YEAR: Kelsey Rode
COACH OF THE YEAR: Bennett Croy
In this Issue:
2013 Year in Review
Spring Schedule
2014 Game On
New Programs
2014 Event Schedule
Message from Executive Director
Student Spotlight
Coach Profile
Fall 2013 A/B Honor Roll
Volunteer Highlight
Message from Coach Jon
Core Values: January—March
OUR MISSION
To positively impact the lives of young people in Idaho by providing educational programs that build character, instill life-enhancing values, and promote
healthy choices through the game of golf.
SPRING
PLAYer & Par
APR 21 - MAY 22
TARGET
Apr 26,
May 3,10,17
Falcon Crest
Golf Club
Pierce Park
Greens
River Birch
Golf Course
PLAYer
PLAYer
TARGET
Par
Par
(all ages)
M/W 5:30 - 7:00 PM
(PLAYer Certified)
T/T 5:00 - 7:00 PM
2014 GAME ON
We are teeing up for a great 2014 season It is our goal to keep
you up-to-date on what’s happening at The First Tee of Idaho.
Events have been planned, classes have been scheduled, new
brochures have been designed and we have updated our website
to make it easier for you to navigate.
Social Media
Pictures of the kids, upcoming events, funny
daily happenings…these are just a few of the pleasant surprises you
will receive when you “like” The First Tee of Idaho Facebook page.
Social media has become an effective communication platform for
many organizations; we always welcome your comments, and invite
you to begin conversations on our page. Help us grow, look us up
and give us a LIKE!
MESSAGE FROM
Executive Director
Friends of The First Tee of Idaho,
2014 is going to be a great year for The First
Tee of Idaho! We added Ally Gorney to our
staff last October, and we are very excited
about that. She will be one of our key
instructors and she will be leading the way
when it comes to our marketing, website, and social media
presence. Welcome to the team Ally, and thank you for already
taking our FaceBook page to a whole new level.
Online enrollment for all of our 2014 classes should be available
much earlier this year – keep checking our website home page for
announcements. Also, save the following dates: our 7th Annual Swing
Fore the Kids Golf Tournament will be held on Friday afternoon,
June 27th at Shadow Valley Golf Course and our first ever Golf
Marathon will be held all day Monday, September 29th at Plantation
Country Club. For more information about these fundraising events,
please visit our website.
If 2014 is going to be the first time you have ever enrolled your
children in our classes or they are coming back as returning
participants, we promise to provide programming that will prove to
be a great investment in your child’s future. If you have any
questions about The First Tee of Idaho, feel free to contact me
directly at [email protected] or (208) 938-3411.
(all ages)
T/T 5:30 - 7:00 PM
(ages 6 & 7)
Sat. 10:30 - 11:45 AM
(PLAYer
Certified)
M/W 5:00 - 7:00 PM
NEW
Family Fun!
Children and adults will have the opportunity to put their skills to
the test! Family fun days are held throughout the year at different
locations. This is a great opportunity for parents/adults and children
to experience golf together in a fun and healthy environment. A
child/adult pair is considered a team. Open to ages 6 and older.
Tournament Tour
Boys and girls ages 8—17 will have the opportunity to put their skills
to the test! Tournaments are held throughout the summer at
different locations. This is a great opportunity for golfers to
strengthen their game in fun and healthy competition. Bring a friend
and double the fun. Choices: 3 holes, 6 holes or 9 holes.
Summer Camp
The First Tee of Idaho will offer two summer camp sessions at
Indian Lakes Golf Course. These camps will run one week for three
hours a day. Our camps are the ultimate golf experience. Youth
learn new golf skills and valuable life skills, have fun through creative
games, and get the opportunity to make new friends.
Program Affiliate
The First Tee of Idaho expands to Idaho Falls.
Sand Creek Golf Course
5230 Hackman Rd. Idaho Falls, ID 83401 ~ (208) 612-8115
Event
Schedule
2014
Golf Expo
February 8 & 9
Fairgrounds
Booths and fun games
chance to win prizes.
Spring Session
April 21 - May 22
Various Locations
Summer Session I
June 7 - July 10
Various Locations
Swing Fore the Kids
Golf Tournament
June 27
Shadow Valley Golf Course
1:00 pm start time
Summer Camp Session I
July 14 - 18
Indian Lakes Golf Course
Kids Golf-A-Thon
Aug 2
TBA
Web Pro - Am Tour
July 14 - 20
Hillcrest Country Club
Adult Golf Marathon
September 29
Plantation Country Club
Summer Session II
July 21 - August 21
Various Locations
Circle of Champions
Awards Recognition
October TBD
Summer Camp Session II
Aug 11 - 15
Indian Lakes Golf Course
Fall Session
Sep 8 - Oct 9
Falcon Crest Golf Club
Pierce Park Greens
BSU Softball Game
TBA
Student Spotlight: Natalie Mullins
Coach Profile: Bennett Croy
Natalie Mullins’ first exposure to The First Tee of Idaho
was in 2010 as a volunteer in TARGET classes; over the
past four years she has volunteered in over 100 hours of
class time and activities.
In 2011 Natalie enrolled in our Life Skills Experience
program and currently enjoys Eagle level status.
In 2013, Natalie underwent an extensive back surgery—Spinal Fusion to
correct the curvature of her spine due to Idiopathic Juvenile Scoliosis.
Natalie was diagnosed at age 7.
Natalie is a four time (2009—2012) IGAJ State Champion in her age
division. Not only does she volunteer for The First Tee of Idaho, she also
volunteers for Special Olympics (past two years). Natalie is a member of the
National Honor Society with a GPA of 3.98 and a member of the golf team
at Eagle High School.
Natalie has plans to study pediatrics upon graduation.
“ I enjoy participating and volunteering for The First Tee of Idaho. I volunteer for
the Target classes; it is exciting and rewarding to see the children learning the
game of golf through the Nine Core Values.”
Bennett started in 2012 as a volunteer then as an instructor
later in the same year. He has taught at Foxtail, Indian
Lakes and Ridgecrest.
Bennett Croy was born and raised in Boise, ID. He is a
graduate of Borah High School. He attended Clemson
University where he received a degree in turf management.
Bennett is married to his wife Liz. They have 2 adopted
boys. Davis(3 yrs. from St. Louis), and Mays (1yr. from
Atlanta). He considers himself to be a stay at home Dad.
When Bennett is not coaching for The First Tee of Idaho,
he is teaching high school math in the Boise School District
or working as a groundskeeper at Boise Ranch Golf
Course.
Bennett received The First Tee of Idaho’s Coach of the
Year Award in 2013. We are happy to have Bennett and his
family in The First Tee of Idaho family.
“ I knew I wanted to be a part of The First Tee
after volunteering with The First Tee at the 2009
Accenture Match Play Championship in Tucson,
AZ”
Fall 2013 A/B Honor Roll
PERSEVERANCE: It is one of The First Tee’s Nine
Core Values, and an important factor to achieving in
school and life. Congratulations to our program
participants who earned all A’s and B’s. Each participant
will receive a certificate signed by The First Tee’s CEO
Joe Louis Barrow, Jr.
We want to CONGRATULATE
CLAIRE BURAN, winner of the
A/B Honor Roll drawing for a
free session with The First Tee
of Idaho. Claire attends North
Star Charter in Eagle ID.
Wyatt Allen
Lily Baldwin
Brooke Benton
Alex Bowman
Grace Bowman
Jacob Bowman
Brodie Brownlee
Tyson Brownlee
Claire Buran
Hamish Buran
Murial Buran
Claire Campbell
Hallie Campbell
Carson Curtis
Chandler Curtis
Dylan Ditter
Jayden Ditter
Parker Erway
Syria Gilliam
Jack Grubb
Ryan Grubb
Max Hafen
Wes Hafen
Adrienne Holtry
Ashley Hoppe
Ryan Hurst
Brandon Hurst
Camden Hyde
Heather Kivi
Benjamin Lewers
Chris Lynn
David Lynn
Liam Johnson
Madelyn Mann
Natalie Mullins
Britni Olano
Emma Schultz
Lauren Stoppello
David Tennant
Hayden Tueller
Macey Tueller
Anthony Venturi
Ryan Walker
Daniel Weil
Austin Wirl
Julia Wolfe
Volunteer Highlight: Robin Sherwood
At The First Tee of Idaho we change the lives of young people in Idaho with only three full time staff
members and more than forty dedicated volunteers. Like most nonprofits, we are a “volunteer” driven
organization. Without our volunteers, we would not be able to deliver the programming we so strongly
embrace.
Over the course of the last nine years as a nonprofit executive it has been my pleasure to work side by
side with a number of devoted volunteers. I have chosen Robin Sherwood as our first volunteer to
recognize in our first quarter newsletter. I am proud to call Robin my friend and blessed that Robin has
chosen to devote his time, money, and talents to The First Tee of Idaho.
Robin is a Boise native and a BSU graduate. He spent 40 years of his life as an Industrial Distributor of
plumbing and heating supplies and the last 7 years as an independent marketing consultant to the Building
and Remodeling Industry.
Robin learned golf club repair from his father in his early teen years and started playing competitively at the age of 5 (as Robin puts it, “no choice
in our family”). Robin is still an avid competitive player, but his greatest contribution to golf may be The First Tee of Idaho’s Golf Club
Donation Program.
Six years ago, Robin started this program for The First Tee of Idaho. He has also served four years on the Board of Directors, but the bulk of
Robin’s volunteer time is spent managing our Golf Club Donation Program (considered a best practice by The First Tee’s national organization).
Robin is not your normal volunteer. He estimates he spends around 12 hours weekly (624 hours/year for 6 years = 3,744 hours), but he calls
them “very enjoyable hours”. Robin accepts donations of anything golf related that is in good enough shape to be cleaned up and sold. He has
developed partnerships with most of our local golf course head professionals, local golfers, local golf retailers, and even some donors who do not
live in the Treasure Valley.
Robin lists and sells these donations on EBay and Craig’s List. He has made sales to almost every state with foreign sales to England, France, Japan,
and Canada. Since 2008, Robin has total sales approaching $60,000! The First Tee of Idaho restricts the use of these funds to the purchase
of golf equipment for our participants. We agree with Robin when he says his goal for this program is “getting clubs into the hands of kids!!”
If you are interested in volunteering to help Robin with this program or you would like to donate golf equipment with resale value, please contact
Pete Stickney at 208-938-3411 or [email protected]. Thank you, Robin for your hard work and passion for getting kids involved in
the game of golf.
Core Values January - March
RESPECT ~ COURTESY~ RESPONSIBILITY
At the heart of The First Tee is its Nine Core Values. This quarter we
are inspired by RESPECT, COURTESY, and RESPONSIBILITY. These
are also the first three core values we focus on in our PLAYer class. In
golf, as in life, it is important to show RESPECT for oneself, for others
and for our surroundings. We show COURTESY toward our
competitors, and we take RESPONSIBILITY for our choices and
actions.
To have RESPECT is to have HONOR. To show COURTESY is to
show COMPASSION. To be RESPONSIBLE is to be ACCOUNTABLE
for our actions and choices.
RESPECT~ COURTESY ~ RESPONSIBILIITY what do they mean for
you? We would love to hear from you. Send us a short paragraph on
any one of these three core values. Please include your name,
grade, and school you attend. We will select three individuals from
the responses. Each one will win a cool The First Tee of Idaho PRIZE!
DEADLINE: March 16, 2014.
MESSAGE FROM
Coach Jon Stein
Hello to all participants,
I hope you are as excited for 2014 as I am! Today’s blue sky has
me thinking about getting ready for golf; perhaps my thoughts will
benefit you. My golf clubs have been in a closet for months so the
first thing I’m going to do is clean my clubs. I’ll wash the handles in
warm, soapy water, give them a good rinse, then dry them with a
towel. Next, I’ll dunk the heads of my clubs in the soapy water and
scrub them with an old toothbrush, making sure the grooves are
clean. Finally, I’ll make sure my golf balls are clean and my
equipment will be ready to start the season. Now, what about
me? It’s time to get walking. I’ll stretch, add some flexibility
exercises and start swinging my clubs two at a time to build
strength in my golfing muscles.
What are you
going to do?
Send entries to [email protected].
The First Tee of Idaho ~ 172 S. Academy Ave. Suite 160, Eagle ID, 83616 ~ 208-938-3411 ~ [email protected] ~ www.thefirstteeidaho.org