Category: Newsletter

Earthquakes Game

Saturday, October 6th found George Maxe and Carlos Herrera (our resident football expert), at the San Jose Earthquakes v the New York Red Bulls game as guests of Rod & Laura Howard of Synectic.   While the Earthquakes did not enjoy success on the field, George & Carlos had a lot of fun and learned much about Synectic and Avaya. Watching the game from the Avaya suite allowed them to see Avaya product demos.  Rod & Laura had the opportunity to learn about The First Tee of Silicon Valley throughout the game as well.

Golf Friends Have a Deeper Link

Playing the game of golf can improve your quality of life as there are many physical, emotional and social benefits. The First Tee Nine Healthy Habits were created through a collaboration among The First Tee, ANNIKA Foundation and Florida Hospital for Children to promote healthy, active lifestyles for youth. The First Tee of Silicon Valley participants learn Nine Healthy Habits as part of our education curriculum and one of the social healthy habits is Friends. The First Tee of Silicon Valley teaches our participants to maintaining healthy relationships and encourages them to surround themselves with friends and supportive people. We have relevant discussions about how to effectively handle challenging situations, including bullying and navigating the digital age with social media. We have also observed the special friendships our participants have formed through being involved in our program from 2nd to 12th Grade through 5 levels of certification. There is something different about the friendships they make through golf, an extra dimension, a deeper link. It’s amazing, you smack a little white ball across a few miles of mowed turf and it shows you–and your mates—what kind of person you are: flawed, full of hope, willing to push hard against the limits of your ability, ready to laugh, weep, try and keep trying. All the ingredients of true friendship. Consider registering your child in a class, becoming a volunteer or supporting our non-profit youth development organization.

Golf is a Game of Common Courtesies

There are so many common courtesies that are the fabric of the game of golf. As one of The First Tee’s Nine Core Values, Courtesy teaches participants respectful behavior toward others. Our weekly curriculum incorporates handshakes and introductions at all program levels. A round of golf should begin and end with a handshake between fellow competitors. Players also should be still and quiet while others are preparing and performing a shot. Whether players are waiting to get started on the first hole or waiting their turn while others are playing the course, following some simple rules and etiquette will help maintain order while playing and allow them to remain courteous toward one another. A strong handshake with confident eye contact creates an immediate image of strength, professionalism and belief in oneself. It helps pull shy, insecure participants out of their shell, creates a bridge for communication between individuals of all ages and backgrounds, and sets the tone in showing respect for others. Parents, volunteers and spectators have commented that they can point out a participant of The First Tee of Silicon Valley from a crowd of young adults just by watching their demeanor and ability to communicate with other individuals. Consider registering your child in a class, becoming a volunteer or supporting our non-profit youth development organization.

Caddy Club Members Matter

There is still time to be part of the 2018 Caddy Club! It has been a challenging year to raise money for our youth development non-profit as much of the local giving has been diverted to supporting disaster relief and homelessness. The First Tee of Silicon Valley is a safe haven that provides structure, direction and mentorship to many children who never dreamed of working on core values and life goals through golf. We are turning back to golf enthusiasts like you that understand the impact of our specialized program to ask for help. We appreciate your generous financial support to continue shaping youth into high quality adults and to keep our classes affordable. More than 50% of our current class costs (>$250) are covered by contributions keeping class fees affordable. More than 25% of our participants which are on free/reduced school lunch program require financial aid to even cover the $160 class fee. Your generosity provides opportunity and results. If you have already received your 2018 bag tag and magnet as a Caddy Club member, please consider a year-end gift to help us reach our $250,000 goal. If you are not yet a member of our Caddy Club for this year, please visit our website to learn more about our multiple levels of Caddy Club Annual Giving (starting at $250) and see the impact you can have by underwriting a participant(s) as they progress through the 5 levels of certification. Thank you for realizing our program is a game changer for participants – they are behaving better, are getting better grades and are healthier on the golf course, in the classroom and in our local community. The First Tee of Silicon Valley is a self-sustaining, local chapter celebrating its 13th year of offering affordable access to over 65,000 youth. Please donate to help us meet our goal of raising $250,000 by year-end.

The First Tee of Silicon Valley Comes to Redwood City

The First Tee of Silicon Valley is excited to begin classes in Redwood City this upcoming Winter season! We are coordinating with Redwood City Department of Parks & Rec, Redwood City Police Activities League (PAL), Redwood City School District, and San Mateo County Sheriff’s Activities League (SAL). Both PAL and SAL have begun delivering The First Tee DRIVE program in Redwood City and North Fair Oaks schools. SAL efforts, in particular, are for their Pete Liebengood Junior Golf Program. TFTSV’s entry in to southern San Mateo County is part of our plan to expand our presence at the new Baylands Golf Links (formerly Palo Alto Muni) and to reach many more low income youth. TFTSV is very grateful to the SAGA Foundation for its generous grant to help make all of this possible.  

Used Club Drive at PGA Tour Superstore

Bring your used clubs to the PGA TOUR Superstore in East Palo Alto on Saturday, November 10th from 11am to 3pm. Collecting used clubs enables The First Tee of Silicon Valley to pursue our mission to impact the lives of young people by providing education programs that build character, instill life-enhancing values and promote healthy choices through the game of golf. Bring your used clubs to the PGA TOUR Superstore (1751 East Bayshore Road, East Palo Alto, CA  94303) on Saturday, November 10th from 11AM to 3PM and receive a $20 off/$60 PGATSS coupon.
  • Club donations: full sets, usable drivers/putters/fairway metals, golf bags, and iron sets
  • Club donors will receive $20OFF$60 (PGATSS coupon)

The Importance of Volunteer Coaches

The First Tee of Silicon Valley believes positive youth development happens through a meaningful, quality relationship between the coach and participant. Mentor coaches are critical to ensuring our participants have an optimum and enjoyable learning environment. Therefore, we are always looking for high quality volunteers to serve as mentor coaches. The First Tee works with experts in a variety of fields to help coaches deliver programs that seamlessly weave golf and character-building activities into each lesson. Our coaches follow a philosophy centered on positively reinforcing a child’s actions and ensuring a great experience. As a child progresses through The First Tee’s programs, the activities and life lessons become more involved, helping her/him build character and become even more equipped to make good choices on and off the golf course. TFTSV Coaching Philosophy We believe that positive youth development happens through a meaningful, quality relationship between the coach and participant. Young people do not care what a coach knows until they know a coach cares. This philosophy is implemented through four building blocks. Activity-Based Doing versus telling  (create experience-based learning environments; seamless delivery of life skills within golf activities) Mastery-Driven Seek challenging tasks that help develop new skills  (balance the focus on process versus outcome) Empower Youth Young people actively participate in the decision-making process  (develop positive relationships and take a student-centered approach) Continuous Learning Foster long-term solutions rather than short-term fixes  (engage young people in feedback and identify coachable moments) Coaching is a very rewarding experience. Click here for an application to be considered. Onboarding steps must be completed by November 15th to coach the Winter Session (Dec-Feb).

PURE Insurance Championship Impacting The First Tee

On September 30th, The First Tee of Silicon Valley brought 36 TFTSV DRIVE participants on a bus trip to the 2018 PURE Insurance Championship Impacting The First Tee at Pebble Beach Golf Course. TFTSV participants, who were mostly from our outreach efforts in the Alum Rock Unified School District in East San José, took part in the Chevron STEM Zone and learned how science, technology, engineering, and math impacts golf. They also cheered on our 4 local chapter teens: Linette Jun, Calton Kong, Erica Lam & Kelly Yu who were selected to compete in the official PGA TOUR Champions event September 24-30. What an inspiration for the field trip students to observe how the efforts of our high -school, Eagle certified participants earned them the coveted spot to play along-side professional and amateur golfers in a nationally televised event. After watching the golf tournament, they returned to Rancho del Pueblo to hit range balls and turn their inspiration into action! TFTSV sends a special thank you to the Monterey Peninsula Foundation http://www.montereypeninsulafoundation.org/ for providing the grant which allowed us to cover transportation to and from Pebble Beach and participate in the Chevron STEM Zone. TFTSV will be piloting its own STEM classes to Birdie level participants this Winter. Elective classes for Par, Birdie, Eagle and Ace will begin in the Spring of 2019. TFTSV’s STEM curriculum will integrate The First Tees’s nine golf fundamentals with developmentally appropriate STEM concepts.

SVBTA Golf Classic Donates $2,000

The Silicon Valley Business Travel Association (SVBTA) named The First Tee of Silicon Valley their charity beneficiary for the third year in a row and made a generous $2,000 donation. The 24th annual tournament of business leaders responsible for the purchase of annual travel services exceeding $1Billion was held on Monday, September 24th at Silver Creek Valley Country Club. Tournament Director, Chris Suarez said, “We are happy to give back to a non-profit that introduces youth to the game of golf while teaching them life skills”. Robby Keith, former participant and current instructor, delivered a powerful speech to the 200 members. He shared how the TFTSV program embraced, educated and empowered him to become the person he is today. Robby joined the program when he was 7 years old and graduated Ace certified in 2015. He is proud to be a role model and enjoys giving back as a mentor.

Vehicle Donations Now Accepted

It’s easy!  While you’re carving your Halloween pumpkins, think about carving out space in your garage and donate your vehicle to The First Tee of Silicon Valley. Whether you give a car, truck, boat, motorcycle, or RV, we make it easy — and the pick-up is free for any vehicle you give. Our partner Donor Representatives are available seven days a week to walk you through the process from start to finish. Call 855-500-RIDE (7433) or go to our Vehicle Donation page so you can schedule your free pick-up in time for a sweet 2018 tax deduction. Running or not, spooky or not — your generous donation will be a much-needed treat!  Learn More

Saratoga Country Club Open House hosted by Dave Cook

Board Ambassador, Dave Cook hosted 30 fellow Saratoga Country Club members at an Open House on Sept. 27, 2018 to promote and introduce The First Tee of Silicon Valley. Thai Hoang, a Senior at Willow Glen High School and Ace Participant, spoke about the impact the program has had on his life over the last 8 years.  He concluded his speech by saying, “ I came to The First Tee of Silicon Valley to play golf and ended up learning so much more than golf, like the life lessons and giving back to the community. I definitely feel blessed to be part of ‘The First Tee Family’. I have a go-to team for life, and in return, I do my best to support my family when I can.” In addition to hearing a participant testimonial, guests enjoyed hearing how Dave got involved in TFTSV starting as a volunteer coach and then joining the Board in 2015. The evening also included watching the “More Than A Game” video and guests had an opportunity for a Q&A with Executive Director, George Maxe. It was a very attentive and supportive group that all left with their Masters raffle tickets with high hopes that they will be headed to Augusta. Open Houses are designed to further educate people about The First Tee of Silicon Valley and encourage support through advocating, volunteering, or donating. If you would like to host an Open Houses of your own, please contact our Development Director, Judy Dixon, at [email protected].

Peter Pabst, S.J Legacy Golf Tournament at San Jose Country Club

The First Tee of Silicon Valley was pleased to participate in, and support the 11th annual Peter Pabst, S.J Legacy Golf Tournament benefiting Sacred Heart Nativity Schools and Cristo Rey San José Jesuit High School, held on September 24th, 2018. All of the tournament proceeds go towards helping Sacred Heart Nativity School and Cristo Rey Jesuit High School break the cycle of poverty through education. Sacred Heart operates largely as a tuition-free private school serving low-income youth in San José, and Cristo Rey Jesuit empowers students from underserved communities to be accomplished leaders committed to a lifelong pursuit of learning, faith, and justice. 98% of their funding comes from individual donors and from events like the Peter Pabst Legacy Golf Tournament. The First Tee of Silicon Valley is proud to be a tee sponsor for the tournament and pleased to be a partner with Sacred Heart Nativity School through the delivery of our in-school DRIVE program.