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Newsletter | Summer 2018

Issue No. 11

3545 Jerome Avenue

Bronx, NY 10467

www.thefirstteemetny.org

The First Tee Experience Brings Exposure and Enjoyment to The

Northern Trust Spectators

By Remi Shendell

The First Tee (TFT) is a one of a kind opportunity for all who experience it: classes offer golf and life skills knowledge, and the chapter communities offer support and fun for families and staff. The community that TFT affects is constantly growing, and through a new initiative called TFT Experience displayed at the Northern Trust Open, that growth can increase to new heights, allowing TFT to serve more families and communities than ever before.

At Ridgewood Country Club in Paramus, NJ from Tuesday, August 21st to

Sunday, August 26th, the PGA Tour held the Northern Trust Open, a popular destination for golf fans from the Tri-State area and beyond. Of the many buildings on the course for spectators to visit, TFT Experience was one of them. The air-conditioned building provided relief from the summer heat, and entertained children of all ages while their parents had the opportunity to rest, recharge their devices, and learn more about TFT. Stations in the building included a ball pit, mural wall for coloring and a colorful peg station to make designs, a TFT photo booth, and virtual reality mini golf. Putting practice and a golf simulator attended to by TFT coaches and volunteers taught visitors about golf and the Nine Core Values. Kids were not the only ones learning, though: parents could stop by the information desk and learn all about TFT, find a chapter near them, and more. Janelle Caufield spent time at TFT Experience with her two young daughters, and like many other visitors throughout the week, learned about TFT for the first time. “Before coming here, I didn’t know about TFT. Now, I know that TFT has a location close to my house, is reasonably priced, and is fun for kids,” Janelle says. Janelle’s new knowledge of TFT after visiting the building is exactly why Keith Dawkins, the CEO of TFT, wanted to create TFT Experience.

Continued on Page 5

In This Issue

The First Tee Experience Brings Exposure and Enjoyment to The Northern Trust Spectators

TFTMNY Staff Feature with Na’Dya Strickland

Megha Ganne Sets a Drive, Chip and Putt Record

Morgan Stanley and LPGA Girls Golf Team Up

Goldman Sachs Community Teamworks Day at Mosholu

The First Tee NYC Partners with My Brothers Keeper to offer Meaningful Mentorship

ISSUE NO. 11 A Seasonal Issue EDITOR Joshua Sanchez EMAIL jsanchez@tftmny.org CONSULTING EDITORS Allison Wong Remi Shendell Adam Zweig DESIGNER Mary Beth Hogan

FACEBOOK The First Tee Metropolitan New York TWITTER @FirstTeeMetNY INSTAGRAM @TFTMNY SNAPCHAT TFTMNY

TFTMNY with PGA Tour Pro Ryan Palmer

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Newsletter | Summer 2018

Issue No. 11

TFTMNY Staff Feature with Na’Dya Strickland By Remi Shendell

Communication is an integral part of any organization, especially one involving sports, classes, and kids. Updating and informing parents is a top priority for TFTMNY chapters: the system has been evolving, and employees have been pioneering these changes. Behind the scenes, TFT Program Assistants like Na’Dya Strickland from TFT of Essex County are getting the job done and improving the partnership between parents and our organization. Na’Dya Strickland started working for TFT of Essex County at Weequahic Golf Course in 2011 as a junior coach. When they needed someone to help with filing and conducting registrations, she agreed to help. Seven years later, she is the Program Assistant at the chapter in Newark, New Jersey, a position she excels at. “As Program Assistant, I walk parents through the registration process, I make sure everyone’s getting paid, create the class and outreach schedules, and check that the outreach groups have their applicat ions as well. I make sure that things work smoothly,” Na’Dya explains. When she is not assisting parents or organizing groups at Weequahic, she is a school nurse in Jersey City and works as a nurse at Newark Beth Israel Medical Center. Na’Dya spends most of her time helping parents register, keeping them updated with classes and cancellations, and assisting them in any way she can. “When a parent is having an issue or if they are confused about registration or classes, my favorite part is when that situation is rectified, and when you have that parent that was upset or confused walk out the door happy,” says Na’Dya. In addition to aiding parents when they visit the golf course, she also sends out reminders through email and a new service implemented through TFTMNY called Constant Contact, which stores a master list of emails to make sure that no parent or guardian is left out of the loop.

“When it comes down to a crunch, Na’Dya goes above and beyond. If I don’t get to my emails or the group text, she makes sure she reaches out to me. My favorite part about her is her willingness to meet a parent where they are,” says Tonya Phipps, a mother to four children who all participate in TFT of Essex County. The Phipps family and Na’Dya have worked closely for five years to register kids Tzaddi, Zion, Azriel, and Igzeilbeher for classes and trips. “When we registered, Na’Dya made sure that she showed us a list of opportunities that are available to each TFT level my kids are in… she helped me get them involved and told me everything I needed to know,” Mrs. Phipps says. Na’Dya’s work with has lifted the stress of registration and technology issues off of countless parent’s shoulders, but it has also improved her experience as an administrator.

“My administrative and computer skills have improved through this job. I feel more comfortable talking to strangers, I am better with going back and forth with different databases, and I can adapt to a changing workplace,” Na’Dya says. She doesn’t mind answer ing emails or texts at night when she’s off the clock, and she loves watching the kids grow as they improve their life and golf skills. “Na’Dya has been a true blessing and a help: she’s always willing to hear our voice,” says Mrs. Phipps. From all the participants, staff members, and parents of the Weequahic community: Thank you, Na’Dya!

Megha Ganne Sets a Drive, Chip and Putt Record

Megha Ganne of Homedel, NJ, and participant at Weequahic Park made Drive, Chip and Putt history at Congressional Country Club in Bethesda, MD when she took 1

st place at the Regional Qualifier and punched her

ticket to Agusta for a record 4th

time!

Her last three final’s appearences at Agusta she has placed 6th

, T-2 and 4th

. This will be Megha’s last chance to compete in Drive, Chip and Putt as she’ll be 15 years old come April and the competition is only open to 7-15-year-olds.

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Newsletter | Summer 2018

Issue No. 11

Morgan Stanley and LPGA Girls Golf Team Up

The 4

th Annual Womens’ & Girls’ Golf and Fore Mentoring Program

was once again a success! The First Tee of Metropolitan New York partnered up with Morgan Stanley to bring girls from the LPGA Girls Golf program together with female executives at Morgan Stanley with help from TFTMNY Board Member and Managing Director at Morgan Stanley, Valerie Wong Fountain. The propose of the program is to inspire and empower young girls showing them that if they work hard they too can climb the ladder in the world of business and to break the stigma that executive positions in large companies are meant for men.

Over 50 girls from all TFTMNY locations arrived at the Morgan Stanley HQ this summer to meet these female executives where each girl had the chance to speak and ask questions to the MS employees face to face. The girls learned about building resumes, good interview practices, about each of the MS employee’s career path and about the world of finance and banking. A few weeks later the MS employees came to Mosholu Golf Course where it was now time for the Girls Golf participants to teach them a little bit about the game. “It’s such a unique opportunity that only programs like The First Tee can provide to actually have girls sit down and get to know these successful ladies in such an intimate setting. I hope as a result my girls know that if they work hard and stay on the right path they too can hold successful positions in the world when they grow up” said Lizzy Blomgren, Site Director of the LPGA Girls Golf program at Mosholu Golf Course.

Goldman Sachs Community Teamworks Day at Mosholu

On Friday, July 13

th, members of the Goldman Sachs

Community Teamworks program made their annual visit to Mosholu Golf Course to give back to the community and also have some fun with participants of The First Tee of NYC.

Every year the CTW program will come on site and repair or build something TFTNYC uses for their program. In the past, CTW has built and painted us a new deck, build a gazebo, fixed the wooden fences, repair the shed roof, and removing overgrowth surrounding the program building. This year they repainted the green container used to store equipment such as golf clubs, golf balls, targets, turf mats, and nets that the coaches use to teach. The also built a new hitting area on the to accommodate more golfers on the driving range. CTW brings “people from (Goldman Sachs) offices (to) work in partnership with local nonprofit organizations on team-based volunteer projects,” according to the official Goldman Sachs website.

After a morning of hard work, CTW members and TFTNYC participants participated in a golf outing and celebrated together later that evening. Trophies were awarded to winners of Closest to the Pin, long drive, and first place. Special thanks to all of the Goldman Sachs CTW members who helped improve facilities that will benefit chapter participants here at Mosholu Golf Course!

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Newsletter | Summer 2018

Issue No. 11

The First Tee NYC Partners with my Brothers Keeper to Offer Meaningful Mentorship

By Remi Shendell

One of The First Tee of Metropolitan New York’s (TFTMNY) defining traits is its ability to reach out into the surrounding community to improve the lives of others. So when TFTMNY started to collaborate with My Brother’s Keeper, an organization that provides support and mentorship to young men of color, neither of the parties knew how beneficial their partnership would be. After a successful day of mentorship and golf on June 28th created by Morgan Stanley employee John Onwualu, they can be sure that this bond will continue for years to come.

John Onwualu is an Associate in Leveraged Finance at Morgan Stanley, and an active member of TFTMNY. “I joined TFTMNY earlier this year, as part of the Young Benefactors program, to begin paying-it-forward for all the mentorship and opportunity I have been afforded as a young man of color, through education and sports, more recently golf,” Onwualu said. With the help of Executive Director Ed Brockner and Director of New York Player Development Anthony Rodriguez, they created a new opportunity for young men of color by inviting My Brother’s Keeper participants to spend the day at Morgan Stanley and Meadow Brook Golf Club, where Mr. Onwualu is a member.

John Onwualu with MBK participants at Meadow Brook

“When I was in high school, I did not know much about what job opportunities existed out there, let alone Wall Street. All I knew was that I was interested in business, and with great mentorship and a strong education I was able to find my way. It can be hard to envision yourself, as a young man of color, in a role where most people do not look like you. This event was intended to aid that vision; to show these guys that men, like them, are finding success in business, and they can too, if they stay the course. We all want these guys to know they have a whole community rooting for them,” Onwualu said. At Morgan Stanley, the six participants spoke to individuals in senior positions, which exposed them to the business world and what it takes to be successful in it. They also enjoyed the company of many college students who were interns at Morgan Stanley for the summer. David Armah, a 17 year old My Brother’s Keeper participant, enjoyed talking with his college aged peers about how he can maximize his own opportunities. “The senior leaders gave me a lot of insight about business, which I would like to study as a profession. Also, being the same skin tone as the senior leaders and interns helped me understand the real world of business and the advantages and disadvantages of going into the profession,” said Armah.

The opportunities for mentorship and connections continued when they arrived at Meadow Brook Club, where the participants, Mr. Onwualu and Morgan Stanley employees played together. “After a few hours in the office, it was important to get out and play, really tying together the missions of TFTMNY and My Brother’s Keeper. The small teams were the perfect opportunity for mentors and mentees to connect, and for mentees to feel more comfortable asking questions,” explained John Onwualu. He and David were paired up together during the round. “John was a great mentor for me; he talked to me about the business life, and he is Nigerian and I am Ghanaian, so we talked about being from different countries as well. He also helped me with my golf swing,” David said. Onwualu is glad to have helped David and the other participants. “I had a blast getting to know these guys and taking on a mentorship role. The golf course is such a good place to forge a connection with someone, and provides a lot of opportunity for positivity.” After golf and lunch at Meadow Brook, the participants went home, but the connections they made with the interns and Morgan Stanley employees will continue to benefit them.

“During the trip, I learned a lot about job opportunities and now I might get a job from the connections I made,” David expla ined. He also is taking the advice from John and the other people he met to pursue his goals. “After this event, I’m starting to do everything I say I want to do. I have wanted to work as an intern, and now I am researching more heavily about internships.” By introducing participants to mentors like themselves, this event shows young people that they should not limit themselves or their goals. “This was the first annual event, and we kept it at eight individuals to make sure that the day ran successfully, but next year we hope to expand it and really share the experience with more members of the TFTMNY community,” Onwualu said. The commitment of TFTMNY, Morgan Stanley, and My Brother’s Keeper created this meaningful event, and they will continue to build on the importance of mentorship for young people of color to inspire them to aim higher, for both their golf and their dreams.

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Newsletter | Summer 2018

Issue No. 11

The First Tee Experience Brings Exposure and Enjoyment to The Northern Trust Spectators

Continued from Page 1

“There are many things I want to do with TFT as CEO: I want people to know about it and have greater awareness. TFT Experience has created a buzz and excitement for new people that see it, and it is a way of bringing TFT to a place outside of its normal environment,” Dawkins explains. This is the second time the Experience has been at a PGA tournament, the first one being in May at the Player’s Championship. The two events, along with introducing new people to the organization, spark opportunity for corporate sponsorships and strengthen the relationship between the PGA, LPGA, and TFT. “A goal for the PGA is to create a premium, exciting event. TFT Experience helps them to achieve that goal. The PGA tour and TFT have grown much closer through planning this experience,” says Dawkins. The most visible aspect of the experience, though, was the visitor’s enjoyment and their new knowledge and excitement about TFT.

NBA Star J.R. Smith with TFT Participants (Left) and Cameren Dawkins with Golf Channel’s Bob Papa (Right)

“Socially, we’re looking to show how fun golf can be and how families can enjoy golf in different ways than they previously thought,” says Danielle Mannino, who created the events and structure of the TFT Experience. Judging from the del ighted yelps of children jumping into the ballpit and their parents watching them or even jumping in with them, this goal was achieved with flying colors. “I think the kids realise that golf can be cool, and the parents are more inclined to get their kids involved if they see their kids having fun,” Mannino says. Because many of the families at TFT Experience were local to the Tri-State area, the TFTMNY community could welcome many new participants who would not have known about TFT otherwise.

PGA Tour Pro Jason Kokrak juggling golf balls with Leon Bui (Left) and PGA Tour Pro Ryan Palmer with Morris Lane (Right)

Results from this event are not immediate, but those who were a part of the Experience hope that participation and awareness about TFT will increase because of the event. “My wish for TFT is I want to take the great work that’s been done by coaches, volunteers, and directors and I want everyone to learn about it,” Keith Dawkins says. Because of TFT Experience, this wish is now one large step closer to coming true.