The NCGA Foundation was honored with the First Tee Founders Award.

The Founders Award recognizes those special individuals and other entities whose support of local First Tee chapters have impacted the lives of young people in a meaningful way. The award was presented at the First Tee’s annual meeting in early November.

“The Founders Award is bestowed upon individuals and organizations that exemplify the integrity, qualities, and values on which The First Tee was founded, said Mark Lowry, senior director of network management for The First Tee. “It’s an award of distinction that recognizes and honors achievement, excellence, contribution and strong industry citizenship.” There have been 37 recipients of the award since its inception in 2002.

Nominations for the prestigious award are submitted by First Tee staff. The NCGA Foundation was nominated by the First Tee’s Western Regional Manager Cathy Wagner, who stated, “Under Adam’s leadership, the organization has truly gone above and beyond with its support of the Northern California Chapters (of the First Tee) and the Wal-Mart First Tee Open. I truly admire the Foundation’s efforts to bring the game of golf to young people. The NCGA Foundation is truly deserving of this recognition and award.” 

Heieck (above right) was on hand to accept the award at the 10th anniversary annual meeting of the First Tee in Jacksonville. “The NCGA Foundation is thrilled to accept The First Tee Founders Award,” Heieck said. “We are proud of the work we are doing to make golf in Northern California more affordable for juniors. We look forward to continuing our strong relationship with First Tee chapters to increase the opportunities we provide to deserving youth.”

Inaugural Comcast/NCGA Foundation Invitational
In other Foundation news, the inaugural Comcast/NCGA Foundation Invitational was held in early November at Poppy Hills. The tournament raised more than $100,000 to support deserving youth in Northern California.

The tournament was highlighted by an appearance from former PGA Tour pro Roger Maltbie. The shamble format allowed every golfer to complete each hole with his or her own ball after the best tee shot was selected from the group. Maltbie, an NBC golf analyst and member of the NCGA Foundation honorary board, led his foursome to victory. The team, comprised of Maltbie, NCGA Foundation President Chris Clark, Doug Shultz of Comcast and Marshal Myers of Kaiser Permanente, posted a 12-under-par round of 60. Comcast’s recent partnership with the growing Foundation will enable the non-profit to increase its grant-making efforts while lending support to its Youth on Course golf access programs.

Maltbie had an opportunity to speak to the significance of the day, stating, “All too often, golf has been considered a sport reserved for the rich and affluent. With Comcast’s help, the NCGA Foundation can now ensure that any deserving youth in Northern California can play the game for the astonishing price of only $2.”

Proceeds from the event will benefit the NCGA Foundation’s Youth on Course initiative, which provides children with life skills and values training access to 70 golf courses throughout the region for an average fee of only $2.

About the NCGA Foundation
The NCGA Foundation promotes life skills and values to deserving youth in Northern California through the game of golf. Additionally, the Foundation supports the growth of the game while providing youth the opportunities and motivation to become productive citizens and lifelong golfers. The Foundation will continue to increase the availability and affordability of youth golf through its flagship initiative Youth on Course.

Youth on Course offers juniors the opportunity to play golf at 70 courses throughout the region for an average of only $2. Participants must be enrolled in one of 16 certified programs such as a regional First Tee chapter. The program provides youth the opportunity to use their life skills training on the golf course while they hopefully build a lifelong passion for the game. The NCGA Foundation subsidizes each participating golf course a portion of the lost revenue. Over the past 18 months the Foundation has subsidized more than $100,000 in green fees and more than 7,000 youth have participated in the program. An estimated 15,000 youth were also impacted by more than $140,000 in Foundation grants.

This article was filed under Front Page News.
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