Category: Year

Participant Spotlight: Meet Alexandra – Always Challenging Herself

Alexandra Varo is a Birdie participant at First Tee – Silicon Valley.  She joined our program as a volunteer coach and as a participant, new to the game and to our program. However, from the very beginning she studied our curriculum, coaching strategies, and routinely met with our staff after class to better learn her expectations, and understand what she needed in order to advance in our program.

“Alexandra works incredibly hard and shows a deep interest in not just the game of golf, but the life skills and mentoring opportunities at First Tee – Silicon Valley,” says her Coach and Program Coordinator, Robby Keith. “She consistently stays after class to ask questions about the game of golf and strategies for how to improve as a Junior Coach as well. I look forward to seeing how she continues to develop in the program, and how she can give back to her community.”

Asking for help and asking open-ended questions are life core lessons in First Tee and are examples of a strong leader. They are skills that are difficult for many teenagers to fully embrace, but not Alexandra.

“I enjoy volunteering as well as participating in First Tee because it provides an environment where I am able to learn more about myself, learn important life lessons through golf, and gain confidence in myself,” says Alexandra. “Throughout the golf seasons, I have learned how to become a better leader and I enjoy assisting in classes to contribute to a positive and fun environment for participants. I look forward to continuing in First Tee as a participant and a volunteer.”

In addition to excelling in our program she enjoys playing soccer and is currently on her basketball team at school. She is also part of her school’s Latinx club and participates in cultural events supporting her community.

We are proud of her initiative and drive to be successful as well as her willingness to challenge herself outside her comfort zone. She is a natural leader and an outstanding example for First Tee participants.

To join our program as a participant please visit our Youth Classes page. To register for our upcoming spring session please click here as registration opens 2/9 at 10am.

To join Alexandra as a volunteer coach please see the information below.

  • Visit our volunteer page and click on the volunteer form.
  • Or contact Julie Donnellan at 408-508-4882 or [email protected]
  • Click here for our volunteer tri-fold for more information
  • We are accepting volunteers year-round, but to be able to coach in the next season you will need to complete the on-boarding steps by 2/15 for Spring, and 5/15 for Summer, 8/15 for Fall, and 11/15 for Winter
  • Training provided (golf and life skills)

Register to Play or Sponsor the Open

First Tee – Silicon Valley is excited to announce the 10th Annual Open Scramble Golf Tournament on Friday, June 10th at Cinnabar Hills Golf Club. Registration for foursomes, twosomes and sponsors is available now. The Open is our largest fundraiser tournament so we are pleased to resume a full-scale shotgun tournament with a dinner awards program including raffles and an auction.

Gather your clients, co-workers and friends for a great day of golf and camaraderie for a great cause. Proceeds will help us impact the lives of youth by providing educational programs that build character and instill life-enhancing values through the game of golf. We believe that all kids deserve the chance to grow in a supportive environment with mentors guiding them. We are dedicated to building programs that are accessible, welcoming and as impactful as they are fun.

There are various ways to support the Open:

$20,000 Presenting Sponsor (Registration/Dinner) – co-branded logo on website, social posts, newsletters, flyers, signage; full page ad in program plus 3 foursomes

$10,000 Hosting Sponsor (choice of Lunch, Snacks, Beverage) signage on 3 holes, logo on website, newsletter and program plus 2 foursomes

$5,000 Contributing Sponsor – signage on 2 premium contest holes, program logo plus 1 foursome

$2000 Foursome or $1000 Twosome Sponsor – 18-holes golf, shared cart, boxed lunch, tee prizes, on-course beverages and snacks, dinner and awards program per player

$1500 Hole Sponsor – signage on 1 hole, program listing, and 2 dinner invites

Please contact our Development Director, Judy Dixon Deaton 408-508-4881 – [email protected] for additional customized sponsorship opportunities.

June 10th Open Tournament Timeline*:

10:00 Registration and Range Open 11:00 Lunch Opens
11:30 Welcome and Announcements
12:00 Shotgun Start
4:30 Reception
5:00 Dinner, Awards, Program
6:30 Closing Remarks

*subject to change based on total number of players and public health restrictions.

FTSV Future at Rancho del Pueblo’s At Stake

First Tee – Silicon Valley’s main golf course class location at Rancho del Pueblo with the capacity to serve over 1,000 youth annually may be impacted by a new lease agreement. The City of San Jose plans to combine Rancho del Pueblo, Los Lagos and San Jose Muni into one 3-course lease beginning January 1st next year (2023). We believe that the City may finish writing the lease agreement as soon as Tuesday, March 22nd when the golf courses are on the City Council agenda.

Rancho has been home to First Tee – Silicon Valley since 2000 first as the Eagles at Rancho Junior Golf Program when the course opened. Originally 18-hole Thunderbird Golf Course, Rancho was built when the Zolezzi family donated the land to the City so that East San Jose residents would always have their own golf course.

FTSV has enjoyed a 21-year collaboration with the Department of Parks & Rec and CourseCo, Rancho’s operator since its opening.

However, while FTSV has been seeking greater access for our programs, we have never been granted enough access to meet the high demand.

FTSV is seeking a new, long-term use agreement and access requirements to be included in the new lease agreement that grant us the access to reach at least 1,500 youth per year on course, building upon our historical impact of serving over 86,000 youth.

We want to help Rancho transform into a “Community Golf Center” to maximize our benefit to the surrounding community. As such, Rancho would become a more welcoming place for East San Jose residents, beginning golfers, and youth.

Stay tuned to our Newsletter and web site Stories for further updates as the process unfolds.

Contact your San Jose City Council Member or the Mayor ASAP if you would like to share your FTSV experience at Rancho or your support for FTSV’s expanded access at Rancho.

Contact George Maxe at [email protected] or 408-288-2937 if you have any questions.

Annual Review 2021

First Tee – Silicon Valley (FTSV) had its highest performing revenue year in 2021, while working hard to rebuild our Class and Community Outreach participants served due to the lasting effects of the Covid-19 pandemic. Our non-profit bounced back and we are proud to share we are stronger than ever in respect to fundraising, demand for classes, and volunteerism.

We served 822 unique Class Participants which is 80% of capacity due to access restrictions that only allowed us to return to full golf course access in the Fall and Winter seasons.  We were not able to resume our Community Outreach with the schools until the late Fall. FTSV relaunched our program with 6 schools reaching 3,900 youth compared to our last year-round (2019) program at 18 schools reaching over 13,000 youth.

Our youth development program has now positively transformed the lives of 86,056 youth through proven on course and at-school programs since 2005.

FTSV Program Snapshot   

Class Participation – 822* unique participants took an average of 2 classes at our golf locations for a total of 1,562 class registrations   *reduced by 20% due to Covid

  • 62% at Rancho del Pueblo GC; 25% at Baylands Golf Links; 19% at Gavilan Golf Course
  • Served 62% Male and 38% Female
  • Served 26.6% Teens (age 13+) including 20 Ace students at the top level focusing on career exploration, volunteering, and post high school education
  • Served 45% Asian, 21% Latino, 17% White, 11% Multi-Racial, Black 2% and Other 4%
  • Provided Financial Aid to 28.36% underserved participant registrants in need by reducing class fee paid from $210 to a sliding scale of $20-$180 — $72,000 total awarded (*34% in 2019…Pre-Covid)
  • Provided a 4:1 Coach to Participant Ratio due to increased volunteerism

Outreach Participation – 3,900* youth experienced our community outreach program

  • 6 in-school PE programs or after-school locations in San Jose (4), Sunnyvale (1), and Santa Clara (1)   *reduced by 10,000 youth served due to Covid
  • Primarily served Title I Schools with low to moderate (LMI) students
  • Offered at no cost to schools through underwriting support
  • Served 45% Female and 55% Male
  • Served 65% Latino, 11% Asian, 10% White, 5% Multi, 4% Black, and 5% Other

Youth Opportunities – FTSV Teens were selected for various leadership and golf opportunities where many received special recognition through scholarships.

  • Nancy Rivera represented FTSV at the First Tee Innovators Forum and received a $10,000 College Scholarship
  • Rachel Truong, Calvin Kong, Sophie Thai, and Borina Sutikto represented FTSV at the 2021 PURE Insurance Championship Impacting the First Tee
  • Shivani Patel received the FTSV Joyce Taylor Eagle Award and $4,000 College Scholarship 
  • Dimarco Casillas received FTSV Dennis Kettman Memorial $4,000 College Scholarship
  • Isabella Herrera was chosen for the Youth on Course + TaylorMade DRIVE Club.
  • Athina Chen, Rachana Ajjarapu, and Kelly Yu were selected to attend the First Tee Game Changers Academy Honoring Joe Louis Barrow
  • Jonathan Tessmann and Nancy Rivera were selected to attend the First Tee Leadership Summit
  • Borina Sutikto was selected to the First Tee College Scholarship Program
  • Borina Sutikto and Sophie Thai competed in the First Tee National Championship

FTSV Youth Impact Metrics

  • 100% of FTSV certifying class participants graduate high school
  • 100% of ACE top-level certifying participants attend college
  • 80% of our participants reported receiving all A’s and B’s
  • Class Participant Surveys reported the following:

       97% Had fun

       96% Said Coaches were fun and cared

       94% Like golf and improved golf skills

       90% Felt included as part of the group

       88% Want to continue with FTSV classes

       84% Learned new life skills to improve their character

FTSV Volunteerism

  • 100 Total Volunteers
  • 70 Teen Junior Coaches from our program
  • 13 Board Directors and 13 Ambassadors
  • 5,574 total hours donated
  • Equivalent to $111,480 in-kind labor

Financial Snapshot

FTSV raised $1.6M exceeding the operating budget of $1.2M. The operating budget distribution was approximately 70% for Programs, 6% for Operating (e.g., golf course access), 20% for Fundraising, and 4% for Administration.

$1,014,451 Contributed Income

       $332,501       Grants and Foundations

       $273,868       Government Grants

       $19,976          Corporate Giving

       $388,106       Individual Giving

$649,654 Earned Income

       $255,564       Participant Fees & Merchandise Sales

       $391,251       Golf Events: Open, Invitational, Classic (Foundation, Corporate, Individual)

       $    2,839        Miscellaneous

$1,664,105 Total Income        

                  

Meet our New Director: Steve Petersen

First Tee –Silicon Valley recently elected Steve Petersen to our Board of Directors.  Steve is passionate about family, golf and helping underprivileged children learn to play golf.  He is a California native & was raised in East San Jose and currently resides in Morgan Hill.  Steve learned to play golf as a kid in a community without access to a wonderful organization like the First Tee.

Steve has spent his 30+ professional sales career consulting & serving Technology, Software, Healthcare and Financial Services.  He graduated from San Jose State and brings valuable experience from Xerox, Gartner, PWC & EY.  Steve currently works for Microsoft on the National Health Services Team.  Steve is also an entrepreneur and operates his family-owned Micro-Boutique Winery, EmmaLily, Inc.   For more info:   https://www.linkedin.com/in/steve-petersen-6190802/

Steve comes to us with high-energy dynamic leadership skills and an incredible “make It happen” attitude!   Steve shared, “I am excited to join this incredible organization and dynamic Board of Directors!  I am committed to the First Tee SV’s charter of exposing the game of golf by providing positive life lessons to youth in underserved communities.”

FTSV Board Directors vote, provide planning, performance, legal and financial oversight and raise sufficient funds to ensure FTSV’s success. Board Ambassadors give advice, assist with projects, represent the organization in the community at events, help raise funds, and expand FTSV’s network throughout Silicon Valley and beyond. Click here to meet all our Board Members. Contact Judy Dixon if you have interest in learning more about a volunteer Board opportunity.

Meet our New Director: Dave Kinser

First Tee – Silicon Valley recently elected Dave Kinser to our Board of Directors. Dave has been playing golf for 58 years and fondly remembers playing as a youth and knows how much golf can provide meaningful experiences. Dave has been a member at Almaden Golf & Country Club since 1990 and served on their board for 6 years.  He believes passionately that all kids should have the opportunity to play the game of golf and experience the joy and discipline the game offers. 

Dave grew up in Humboldt County and graduated from Humboldt State University before finding his way to Santa Clara County.  He brings a multitude of experiences from his executive roles in finance at National Semiconductor and Apple Computer and his roles as VP of Operations for Claris Corp and Intuit.  He currently advises private, venture backed companies.  For more info: https://www.linkedin.com/in/davidkinser/

Dave is excited to be able to be part of an organization that is dedicated and passionate in making a positive impact on our local youth through golf.  He shared, “The First Tee of Silicon Valley provides a wonderful and compelling opportunity.  Providing a meaningful and positive experience for all our youth, through golf, with passion.  I am excited to be a part of this incredible organization.”

FTSV Board Directors vote, provide planning, performance, legal and financial oversight and raise sufficient funds to ensure FTSV’s success. Board Ambassadors give advice, assist with projects, represent the organization in the community at events, help raise funds, and expand FTSV’s network throughout Silicon Valley and beyond. Click here to meet all our Board Members. Contact Judy Dixon if you have interest in learning more about a volunteer Board opportunity.

Coach Howie – Positively impacting participants and volunteers for 13 years

Meet Coach Howie Roth. He joined First Tee – Silicon Valley coaching staff in 2008 and has been one of the staples of the FTSV coaching team.

“It’s been a great privilege for me to have been coaching at the First Tee,” says Coach Howie. “I’ve always enjoyed seeing how much our participants enrich their lives by growing their life skills through our golf activities. And a special highlight for me has been working with coaches that I originally met as students, and observing how effectively they display these skills learned at the First Tee!”

Coach Howie has been a dedicated, impactful, and skilled coach. He has successfully delivered life lessons and mentored hundreds of participants over the years.  Additionally, his mentoring of our volunteers has been just as significant. “When I think of First Tee I think of Howie,” says Program Director, Chris Moreno-Hunt. “He embodies our Core Values, shows care to those around him, and makes learning fun. He always strives for better, and that mentality has positively impacted our program and benefited his students. We are grateful to have Coach Howie on our team!”

“Coach Howie has been a regular, reliable instructor for us for over a decade,” says CEO and President, George Maxe. “I’ve always loved that he decided to give back to the community in this way after retirement. I deeply appreciate his dedication to FTSV and our kids.”

Interested in making a positive difference like Coach Howie, developing coaching skills, and working together with other like-minded individuals? Please apply to join our team.

How to get started

  • Visit our volunteer page and click on the volunteer form.
  • Or contact Julie Donnellan at 408-508-4882 or [email protected]
  • Click here for our volunteer tri-fold for more information
  • We are accepting volunteers year-round, but to be able to coach in the next season you will need to complete the on-boarding steps by 2/15 for Spring, and 5/15 for Summer, 8/15 for Fall, and 11/15 for Winter
  • Training provided (golf and life skills)

Call for FTSV Alumni to become Ambassadors

Our history dates back to 2000 when the San Jose Sports Authority created the Eagles at Rancho del Pueblo (Eagles) junior golf program for East San José youth. In 2005, the Eagles became The First Tee of San José, a new chapter within The First Tee network.  With 21 years of operation, FTSV now has a group of alumni that participated in our program at any level that are attending college, are young professional and are getting involved in the local community.

FTSV would like to invite our Alumni to join us as a volunteer Board Ambassador! Board Ambassadors give advice, assist with projects, represent the organization in the community at events, help raise funds, and expand FTSV’s network throughout Silicon Valley and beyond.  We would love for our Alumni to become Ambassadors. Who would be a better Ambassador than those who have directly experienced our character building classes? Our Alumni know first-hand the impact of the life and golf lessons we teach and how they help build strong character.  The Alumni Ambassador group will provide a meaningful network opportunity while allowing you to be part of a group with a similar passion to positively transform youth in throughout Silicon Valley.

Please contact George Maxe at [email protected] or 408-288-2937 if you are interested.

2022 Save the Dates

Please save the dates for First Tee – Silicon Valley fundraising events which are designed for our supporters, both individual and corporate. Attending our events are a great way for all individuals to learn more about us while having fun. They also provide a wonderful opportunity for corporations to sponsor our youth programs while entertaining customers. The money raised from these events and our private Invitational in July represent 55% of our fundraising budget which sustains our youth development program.

Top Golf

  • at the new San Jose location on Monday, March 28, 2022
  • a fun, social event for golfers and non-golfers
  • Registration is available now

Open

  • at Cinnabar Hills Golf Club on Friday, June 10, 2022
  • a golf tournament, lunch and dinner — our largest event of the year
  • Registration opens February 10th

Classic

  • at Baylands Golf Links on Monday, September 12, 2022
  • a golf tournament, lunch and dinner — serving the Mid-Peninsula
  • Registration opens June 3rd

Challenge Cup

  • at Several Silicon Valley golf courses in early December 2022
  • an inclusive and friendly challenge between golf clubs
  • Registration opens August 1st

Please contact our Development Director, Judy Dixon Deaton at [email protected] or 408-508-4881, for more information about participating in our events or Sponsorships.

Battle of the Bays @ TopGolf – Monday, March 28th

Form your team for a fun and challenging evening at TopGolf on Monday, March 28th from 6pm – 9pm for the Battle of the Bays benefiting First Tee – Silicon Valley.  This event is perfect for employee team building or to invite clients, customers, family or friends. Challenge your industry peers to see if they’ve got the game to compete!

Each team can be up to 12 players per Bay. Pick your team name and register your guests. You can all play or some can spectate and cheer your team on! Each team will hit 240 balls playing 2 Top Contender target rounds to gain the maximum points for their team, which will be officially scored on the Top Golf leaderboard. Team with the highest 2-round total will be declared the Winner. Winning Team will be crowned the inaugural “Battle of the Bays” Champion, awarded golf and lunch for 6 at Spyglass Hill Golf Course/Roy’s in Pebble Beach.

Show your philanthropic and competitive spirit by stepping up as a $10,000 Sponsor!

Benefits include:

  • One TopGolf Bay with 6 to 12 players
  • All-inclusive taco bar buffet and beverages for 12 + 2 cocktails per person
  • Raffle Tickets and Tee Prizes (1 of each per team member)
  • Sponsor logo and team name featured in all event marketing
  • 90% Tax Deductible Donation

Proceeds will benefit FTSV STEM Education and Financial Aid.

FTSV exists to enable kids to build the strength of character that empowers them through a lifetime of new challenges. By seamlessly integrating the game of golf with FTSV’s life skills curriculum, we create learning experiences that build inner the strength, self-confidence, and resilience that kids carry in everything they do. With the belief that ALL kids deserve the chance to grow in a supportive environment with mentors guiding them, we are dedicated to building life-changing programs that are as inclusive, accessible, and impactful as they are fun.

Register here

Or contact our Development Director, Judy Dixon Deaton [email protected] or 408-508-4881.

SAGA Foundation Donates $100,000

First Tee – Silicon Valley owes an enormous thank you to SAGA Foundation led by President, David Bartoshuk for their generous $100,000 donation to further develop FTSV programs in the Palo Alto-Redwood City area including at Baylands Golf Links. Their donations to FTSV now total $410,000 over the last four years.  The SAGA Foundation assists nonprofits to work smarter, reach further, and have a lasting impact. They are committed to helping FTSV expand dramatically at Baylands for the benefit of Mid-Peninsula youth and the community. David Bartoshuk, President – SAGA Foundation, says, “SAGA Foundation believes critical problems require bold actions through collaboration, open communication, and entrepreneurship. FTSV continues to be a touchstone of what can be accomplished through creative teamwork and the knowledge that together we can make positive, long-term progress.” “David and the SAGA Foundation are showing incredible generosity towards and support of FTSV’s future at Baylands Golf Links and in the lives of youth throughout the Mid-Peninsula.” said FTSV President & CEO, George Maxe. “In addition to SAGA Foundation, we are actively partnering with the City of Palo Alto to make significant improvements to Baylands Golf Links so that FTSV can expand our footprint and public golfers can enjoy more practice area amenities.” FTSV is very grateful to SAGA Foundation and looks forward to impacting many more Mid-Peninsula youth at Baylands Golf Links.

3rd Annual Challenge Cup Raised $53K

The 2021 Challenge Cup was awarded to Almaden Country Club scoring 440 Points – the most of the competing clubs.  The real winners are the kids who will receive financial assistance from the $53,450 in donations. This support helps us to create a sense of belonging for all kids – no matter what walk of life.  The 160 participating club members will be supporting 200 deserving youth.

The 3rd Annual Challenge Cup was an inclusive and friendly challenge between golf clubs benefiting First Tee – Silicon Valley (FTSV) to help us grow the game of golf while building game changers in our community. It was an opportunity for golf clubs to demonstrate their philanthropic spirit of giving back to a non-profit closely associated with their favorite past time. This year we had 3 Golf Club head-to-head challenge matchups competing for the Challenge Cup on Friday, December 3rd.

  • Almaden 440 points vs. La Rinconada 425 points – Raised $18,850
  • Sharon Heights 432 points vs. Menlo 413 points – Raised $25,900
  • Silver Creek vs. San Jose Fundraiser – Raised $8,700

All teams were encouraged to include men, women and seniors in their team tally. Each participant made a donation to benefit the FTSV. The format was a Point Par Scoring with 100% of Handicap — Net Par 1 point, Net Birdie 2 points, Net Eagle 3 points, and Net Albatross 4 points. The aggregate of top 24 scores from each club determined their team score. The team scores were compared to rival club to determine each match up club winner.  Special thanks to all the Club Pros for assisting with coordination, promotion and scoring.

All money raised by both teams was donated to FTSV in the name of the winning club plus bragging rights!  The team with highest overall score among ALL clubs was declared winner of the 3rd Annual Challenge Cup Perpetual Trophy! Congratulations to Almaden Country Club!

If your golf club wants to be a part of the 4th Annual Challenge Cup or create a fundraiser benefitting FTSV, Contact Development Director, Judy Dixon Deaton to get started 408-508-4881 – [email protected].