A SPECIAL THANK YOU TO OUR SUPPORTERS

While Christmas is only a few short days away and the New Year will soon follow, we must not forget to look back at all that 2015 provided. Though, at The First Tee of the Sandhills, we have spent the last few weeks completing paperwork and organizing the chaos that success of 2015 created, we continue to be excited about the impact that was made this year. With the support of our volunteers, sponsors and community partners we reached hundreds of youth across the Sandhills, both on and off the golf course, through The First Tee programs and initiatives. In 2015 we offered 48 curriculum programs across 11 green grass facilities in the Sandhills while adding a program scholarship to ensure that no child is left behind. Our energetic volunteers welcomed 250 new participants to these programs! In addition we hosted 19 outreach classes throughout Moore, Cumberland and Robeson Counties, introducing a diverse group of youth to The First Tee’s passion of combining fun golf activities with core values! Bryan D’Ostroph was named our 2014 – 2015 Bill Jones Memorial Scholarship Fund Recipient just in time to head off to Washington and Lee University for his freshman year. From March to October we were privileged to celebrate 13 national participant opportunity selections, a Sandhills chapter record! And, 20% of our participants received recognition for earning A/B Honor Roll at their respective schools during the spring semester. As always, it takes a village to make these things happen. We rely on our wonderful volunteers to help coach our classes, mentor our youth, assist in the office, reach out to the community and so much more. This year we welcomed 22 new volunteers to The First Tee of the Sandhills who, combined with our returning support base, provided over 2,500 hours of community service in the Sandhills. THANK YOU! Equally important is the backing from our supporters that allows us to operate our programs, offer scholarships to our youngsters, provide continued education to coaches and staff, ensure program quality is unmatched and so much more. These individuals and businesses support helps to cement, grow and expand our programs while putting new, innovative plans in place during the year ahead. THANK YOU to each and every individual, business and foundation that contributed to our efforts in 2015. So, as we are all eager to look ahead to our 2016 calendars, what’s in store for The First Tee of the Sandhills? I’m glad you asked! We are looking to expand our outreach footprint to include consistent programs in northern Moore County while launching after school activities at Middle School’s across the Sandhills – an initiative that Southern Middle School as excitedly raised their hand to be the lab for! We plan to introduce the TARGET program to youth ages 5 and 6 around Cumberland and Robeson counties while growing our volunteer base in these communities to prepare for future curriculum programs for youngsters age 7 and older. Our Bill Jones Memorial Scholarship Fund will grow to include three collegiate scholarship opportunities for participants actively enrolled in The First Tee of the Sandhills as well as alumni. Quite possibly the most important, we will continue to build on our existing foundation while ensuring we are providing a high quality program. To circle back to my first blog of 2015, we are BUILDING MOMENTUM! From the Board of Directors and staff, our sincere thanks for your support in 2015 and continued support in 2016 and beyond. Best wishes to you and your family for a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!