Jose Perez Makes an Impact at First Tee – Monterey County

Jose Perez grew up in Salinas, California where his family loved watching different professional sports, but primarily soccer because of their Hispanic heritage. It wasn’t until Jose was 8 years old when he was first introduced to the sport of golf – and instantly he fell in love. “In other sports, you have to rely on other people. With golf, you only have to rely on yourself and that’s why I love the game,” said Jose.

Jose became a participant at First Tee – Monterey County after being introduced to the game, loving the programs he took part in. So much so, after graduating from the program, he became a First Tee coach in 2013. “Monterey County had a summer program which I applied to that summer. I took my first class and loved it. First Tee – Monterey County has helped me a lot in my career. The coaches I had gave their best at everything and gave me values and skills I could use in my life. The least I could do is give back,” said Jose.

While coaching at First Tee – Monterey County, Jose is also studying to get his degree in accounting. Once he completes his bachelor’s degree, he will apply to get his master’s degree and become a CPA. One day, Jose hopes to do accounting for businesses all over California and take over his dad’s pallet business.

“If there’s anything I could teach my participants, it’s to be patient, be positive and always be willing to ask for help.”

AnnaLeis Caldwell fell in love with golf through First Tee. Now she’s sharing her passion 

AnnaLeis Caldwell is a former collegiate golfer and current program director at First Tee – Clearwater. Her First Tee journey started with an ad her father saw 16 years ago while her family was living in Salinas, California.  

“He thought it would be a great way for me to learn the basics of golf, and he appreciated that it was both personal development and skills based, so I joined [First Tee] Monterey County as a participant,” she said. 

Caldwell’s dad was in the military, and she stuck with First Tee when the family later moved to Virginia. For Caldwell – an avid athlete and serious softball player – First Tee went far beyond sports. 

“Now I’m a First Tee trainer and I always talk about the importance of being a mentor because of my own experience,” she says. “I couldn’t tell you the names of my softball coaches today, but I remember all my First Tee coaches because we talked about my school life and my home life – not just my stats.”  

Caldwell said golf has opened doors for her on and off the course, offering unique opportunities and giving her confidence. On National Girls and Women in Sports Day we’re celebrating the positive benefits that sports can provide. “Sports changes lives,” Caldwell said. 

Having female coaches at First Tee when she was younger helped Caldwell build confidence, she said. “Seeing these professional women who enjoyed the game and were high up in their careers – and looking back, they were moms, which I identify with now – it gave me the confidence that I could achieve those things,” she said. 

Caldwell had never touched a golf club before her initial First Tee lesson. “Little did I know 16 years ago, I’d be coaching for First Tee, welcoming girls and getting kids excited about golf,” she said.  

Her journey came full circle in 2021 when she attended the Game Changers Academy as a coach. She previously attended the event as a participant and then as an alumni chaperone back when it was called the Life Skills Academy. And as a new national trainer she’s now working alongside one of her own First Tee coaches, Colleen Henry of First Tee – Silicon Valley. 

“It’s amazing to be able to impact so many girls,” Caldwell said. Her chapter serves about 40 percent female participants. 

Caldwell previously worked for First Tee – Upstate South Carolina, and she was the first director of women’s golf at Champion Hills Golf Course in North Carolina. Caldwell played golf at North Greenville University. 

Mentors Make the Difference: Scholar Becky Jones Shares How Her Mentor Guides Her as she Navigates College 

It’s National Mentorship Month! And we truly believe that mentors can make all the difference for kids as they face new challenges – from navigating middle or high school to eventually embarking on a career. That’s why we’re proud to pair every First Tee Scholar with a mentor to help them along their journey. 

First Tee – Indiana alumna Becky Jones is a sophomore at Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology where she is studying civil engineering. Her professional goal is to address pollution in her home region. “Especially around our area, we have a lot of environmental hazards that I’d like to fix,” she said. 

As she works toward her future, Jones said, she knows she has at least one person in her corner: her mentor Dr. Roger May. May is senior technical manager in the Great Lakes region for TruGreen, a First Tee Trustee. Not only has May helped Jones on her academic journey, but “he knows me as a person,” she said. 

“Especially as I’m going to college and being in a new environment and working with a lot of different people, he’s given me fantastic advice about things like teamwork, what to do when group members aren’t holding up their weight,” she said. 

His guidance was especially helpful during Jones’ internship at a 66-turbine wind farm in Iowa. “I was in a very different environment than I’m used to, and while it was a wonderful experience, it did challenge me in a lot of ways,” she said. “It’s been incredible. I’m lucky First Tee connected me with him.” 

May said mentoring Jones has helped him understand the challenges a college student faces in 2023. The pair talk for about one hour each month, and while mentoring isn’t a huge time commitment, it’s a great way to give back, May said.  

“I thought back to the time when I was a freshman in college. I could have really used a mentor!  This was a golden opportunity to pay it forward with experience and help a young person navigate the ups and downs of the college experience and give them career advice,” he said. 

For the relationship to work well, mentors need to be non-judgmental, and mentees must be open about the challenges they’re facing, May said. “When everything clicks you form a trust that helps to keep the relationship and communication progressing,” he said. 

As a First Tee scholar, Jones not only receives support from her mentor, but also financial assistance and access to professional development opportunities, including a recent winter workshop that brought together 40 First Tee alumni from across the country. She said First Tee has helped her gain confidence and expand her horizons.  

“When you start playing golf as a kid, you’re just out there hitting a ball. You don’t think about all the etiquette you learn,” Jones said. “You learn about systems, being outside, appreciating nature, respecting authority, honesty. There’s just so many values that go throughout your entire life. Now as a Scholar I get to hear from all these phenomenal speakers who are giving me advice on aspects of my career and personal life, and I feel like I’ve grown more as a person in so many ways I can’t even describe.” 

The 2023 Golf Trip Raffle to Pebble Beach

The 2023 Pebble Beach Golf Trip Raffle
TICKET SALES ARE NOW CLOSED


The drawing will take place on Wednesday, March 1st and will be broadcasted live our our Facebook Page.


Grand Prize includes the following:

  • Three Rounds of Golf for Four Golfers (Pebble, Spyglass & TPC Harding Park)
  • Three nights including hotel accommodations at The Lodge at Pebble Beach
  • Up to $2,000 in Air Transportation

Travel dates subject to availability and the trip must be taken before March 1, 2024 or the trip is subject to increase costs to the winner.
PRIZE MAY BE REDEEMED FOR $5,000 CASH IN LIEU OF THE TRIP

2nd Place Prize:

A foursome at The Carolina Country Club & Cross Creek Country Club

3rd Place Prize:

A Swing Evaluation + 5 Lessons at GolfTEC – Greenville
(only redeemable at GolfTEC – Greenville)


Annual Appeal Post #5: STEMLinks Programming Recap

STEMLinks Programming

Learning Science, Technology,
Engineering & Mathematics through Golf

Top Picture: Group Picture at By-Pass Golf Shop in Spartanburg after learning about launch monitors and how they help golfers get fit for the correct clubs and shafts.
Left Picture: An action shot from a range session with former PGA Tour Player and Owner of Legacy Pines Golf Club, Tommy Biershenk.
Right Picture: A group picture after a fun behind the scenes look at how TopGolf technology works!


We would like to thank both Carolinas Golf Association and The South Carolina Junior Golf Association for providing our chapter the grant money to continue this important FREE week-long camp each summer to our kids and teens. This program has helped our chapter continue to attract and retain teen participants. 
We are very excited to expand our STEMLinks Programming in 2023, so that more kids and teens can learn about Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics in a fun way. 


Congratulations
To Our 8th Annual
Core Values Cup
Champions

From left to right: Matt Sharkey, Recognized First Tee Coach; Tyre Sullivan, Ace Level Participant; Bern Dupree, First Tee Supporter; Will Lucas, First Tee Supporter

Congratulations to the winners of The 8th Annual Core Values Cup! The UseToCoulds (team name) raised A RECORD $9,430 and won by three points! This made it back-to-back wins for The UseToCoulds and they are excited to defend their title again in 2023!

The Core Values Cup is an annual event that pairs three donors with one First Tee participant. All four raise funds to support First Tee programming. The more money the team raises the more points they receive. They also receive points through a Stableford points system base on their play at the event. The team with the most points wins The Core Values Cup!

Do you have what it takes to beat The UseToCoulds in 2023?! Contact Michael Pius at [email protected] to learn how you can get involved in this fun event.


Annual Appeal Update

Why donate to our mission?

In the face of rising social pressures, isolation and growing anxiety, our kids deserve to be equipped with the inner strength that life demands of them today. We believe every kid deserves the chance to build inner strength before the world demands it, to find the joy that comes with feeling confident in their own skin, and to access experiences and spaces where personal growth happens. We provide the safe space to make this happen!

We Build Game Changers!

If you would like to send a check,
please make it out to:

First Tee — Upstate South Carolina
Tax ID: 56-2199252
3515 Pelham Road
Suite 201
Greenville, SC 29615

Thank You For Your Support!

Annual Appeal Post #4: 2022 Our Biggest & Best Events Yet

We would like to thank all of our sponsors, attendees and players! At First Tee — Upstate South Carolina we are always trying to find ways to create fun and engaging activities for our kids and teens to learn and then demonstrate the Life and Golf Skills that we teach! We also strive to create fun and engaging events and fundraisers for our donors and supporters! Thank you for continuing to participate in our unique events!


Save The Dates

If you would like to volunteer for an event committee, please contact Michael Pius, PGA Executive Director at:
(864)268-3309

[email protected]


Continue To Support
Our Annual Appeal

As of December 22 at 8AM, we are just $3,301 away from achieving our
Annual Appeal Goal!
Help us reach our goal by the end of the day!
We only need 34 people to donate just $100 each!

Why donate to our mission?

In the face of rising social pressures, isolation and growing anxiety, our kids deserve to be equipped with the inner strength that life demands of them today. We believe every kid deserves the chance to build inner strength before the world demands it, to find the joy that comes with feeling confident in their own skin, and to access experiences and spaces where personal growth happens. We provide the safe space to make this happen!

We Are #BuildingGameChangers!


If you would like to send a check,
please make it out to:

First Tee — Upstate South Carolina
Tax ID: 56-2199252
3515 Pelham Road
Suite 201
Greenville, SC 29615


Thank You For Your Support!

Annual Appeal Post #3: Financial Aid Requests Grew By 71% In 2022!

Program Director, Derek Kinzer and Summer Program Intern, Parker Fain coached free First Tee Programming to kids and teens through Greenville Parks & Recreation this Summer! Most of these participants would not have learned our Core Values and Golf Skills if it were not for your support!

Financial Aid Requests Grew By 71% In 2022!

$15,435 In Financial Aid in 2022
Compared to $9,000 in 2021

Without your generosity, our programming would not be possible! Our goal is to make our life and golf skills program accessible to any child ages 5-18!

Will you help us raise the difference, $6,435 by this Friday at midnight?!?

Why donate to our mission?

In the face of rising social pressures, isolation and growing anxiety, our kids deserve to be equipped with the inner strength that life demands of them today. We believe every kid deserves the chance to build inner strength before the world demands it, to find the joy that comes with feeling confident in their own skin, and to access experiences and spaces where personal growth happens. We provide the safe space to make this happen!

We Build Game Changers!


Thank You For Your Support!

Game Changing Alumni

For over 25 years, we’ve used golf to teach lessons about life. We’ve spun the unexpected challenges on the fairway to coach kids about adversity in the everyday. It’s not just a game, its game-changing.

Our alumni are a reflection of that commitment we made to building game changers. Below are just a few of our exceptional alumni who are making a difference in the world because of the lessons learned at First Tee.

Annual Appeal Post #1: Tee-Up First Tee For A Big 2023!

Over the next few weeks we will spotlighting a number of different components of our organization including our Girls Golf Program, our Els for Autism #GameON Program, our events, STEMLinks Summer Camp and today our general programming.

We hope that you consider supporting our organization and the kids and teens that we serve. Your support at the end of the year, will allow us to start 2023 off on the right foot.

Check out some of our programming highlights below:

  • Our Girl’s Golf Program is still at one of the highest levels across the country; 39% of our participants are female!
  • We again have a record number of ACE Participants! ACE is the highest level of achievement in First Tee programming involving service projects, educational and national opportunities.
  • Our impact in the non-caucasian community reach a record level! Our chapter is impacting kids in communities that we have never impacted before. 39% of our participants are non-caucasian, which is up from 27% in 2021 and 11% in 2020!

Annual Appeal
Goal for 2022 = $18,500

Ways to Support:

#1
Support our kids and teens by donating on our website
by clicking on the button below.

#2
Join our fundraising team – Create a fundraising page
and then share it with colleagues, friends and family!
This is a great way to bring new donors to our mission
and raise the necessary funds to continue to grow
and impact more lives.

Click here to view a donor packet which will
help you in your fundraising efforts.

#3
For the next week we are hosting an End of Year Online Auction.
We have a number of items that have not gone during earlier fundraising event. Please click on button below to view the items and either Bid Now or Buy It Now to support our growth!

Thank You For Your Support!

WSPA Spotlight presented by Benson KIA:
An introduction to First Tee — Upstate South Carolina

Marcus Freeman Pays it Forward

First Tee is celebrating its 25th anniversary this month, and over the years, it’s helped produce no shortage of game changers. 

One example is Marcus Freeman from First Tee – Greater Charlotte. He says the organization has helped him grow as a golfer and person. 

“Being a part of this community has helped me get through hard times. First Tee – Greater Charlotte was a safe place for me in 2020. During this time my grandfather was going through end stage pancreatic cancer and my family, like the world, was navigating COVID-19 and social distancing,” he says. 

The support he received from First Tee inspired Freeman to pay it forward. 

He completed more than 300 hours of volunteer work for First Tee in 2021. He collected more than 500 books for a First Tee book drive, and he’s a member of the chapter’s participant advisory council. Freeman has also volunteered for his swim team and tutored students in Japanese.

“An aspect of volunteer work that I enjoy is seeing the impact that giving to others can have,” he says. 

Freeman is one of 28 First Tee participants from across the country who’ll attend Innovators Forum this November in Dallas. The workshop empowers First Tee teens to develop a meaningful service project in their community focused on education, health or sustainability. Eight participants will be awarded scholarships totaling $32,000 after the event.

A junior at Palisades High School, Freeman is an accomplished violinist, and he won a medal for performing Japanese poems in 2019. Freeman aspires to study sports science in college. “I enjoy learning more about physical fitness and how the body works,” he says. Freeman spends his free time researching training tips and injury recovery. 

As he progresses as an athlete and student, Freeman says he’ll continue to use the lessons and qualities he’s learned at First Tee, including confidence. 

“When I first joined the program, I was a little shy when meeting new coaches, parents and other players. I spent time observing the instructors and how they interacted with all the different people coming and going. I saw them shake hands, make eye contact, smile and speak confidently,” he says.  

“I knew I wanted those skills as well. I pushed myself out of my comfort zone, and I started to apply what I observed to my own social skills. I practiced a strong handshake. I introduced myself to people I didn’t know, and I have met many interesting people, like professional golfer Davis Love III, all because I have improved in sharing my personality.” 

Learn more about Innovators Forum

Alumna Hannah Rens Reaches for the Stars

Lots of kids aspire to become astronauts but few go on to build careers in space exploration. That hasn’t stopped Hannah Rens from chasing her dreams into orbit. 

The 24-year-old is a systems engineer for Boeing Space and Launch, working on Boeing’s Starliner, a commercial crew and cargo vehicle that will be transporting NASA astronauts to the international space station.  

“My ultimate career goal is to be chief engineer of a permanent human habitat on the moon,” says Rens, a former participant at First Tee – Siouxland and First Tee volunteer. “To achieve that goal, I need to develop advanced business skills, gain industry experience and further my engineering technical education.” 

That’s why she’s attending the First Tee Alumni Summit presented by Gallagher this November in Dallas. The event provides an opportunity for selected alumni to advance their career by building new skills while reconnecting with fellow alumni and chapter leaders. 

“I’m looking to learn more about working in a rapidly evolving industry, startups and founding your own business, and how to develop an effective personal brand,” she says. 

Rens says her nine years in First Tee helped shape her future. “It provided me with a structured path to improving my golf game, peer and trusted mentors, and interpersonal and professional skills that have been essential in achieving my goals,” she says. 

While in First Tee, she was selected to attend the Leaders and Entrepreneurs Forum at Disney World. “Getting to meet other students from across the U.S. while listening and working with successful business owners and entrepreneurs was unlike any other experience I had in high school,” she says. “The business principles and goals I learned have stayed with me.” 

A graduate of the University of Texas at Austin, Rens began her career with internships focused on aircraft maintenance and repair. As Starliner prepares to expand its service to additional sites in Earth’s orbit, Rens works on vehicle life span and sustainment. Ultimately, Starliner will become one of the first spacecraft with turnaround times closer to traditional air traffic. Talk about a Game Changer. 

Rens now serves as a mentor for high school and college students who want careers in the space industry, and she’s enrolled in an astronautical engineering master’s program at the University of Southern California focusing on human spaceflight. 

Rens still golfs, and she’s a certified open water and dry suit SCUBA diver. Learn more about the accomplishments of First Tee alumni