On April 29th, our First Tee Staff attended Hoover Elementary’s annual Dia del Niños celebration alongside PAL of Redwood City. Sporting a wide variety of activities, games, delicious food, and kind people, the event was a wonderful experience full of laughter and joy. Over 200 families participated in the event and experienced the festivities to their fullest by moving around from booth to booth to engage with each program that was present.
Throughout the event the First Tee booth had a line of students waiting to participate in our staple activity, hitting Program Coordinator and Coach Joe Stuban with tennis balls as he wore the Velcro SNAG Suit. The activity drew participants new and old to our booth as many students recognized Coach Joe from previous classes they had taken with him and promptly tried to hit him as hard as they could, perhaps as payback for all of the corny jokes they had to put up with during his class.
Meet Victor Manrique!
While the games were ongoing, new team member and Operations Coordinator Victor Manrique chatted with new families about the opportunities our program presents, and mentioned that “they were eager to find out how to get involved with our program as they realized how fun golf can be.” Victor made sure to prepare each participant in line and teach them the basics from our Golf Cues so they knew how to aim, how to hold the club, and how to swing so that they had the best chance of claiming victory in the activity. When asked about the students, Victor mentioned that “they were very respectful by following our safety guidelines and sharing clubs with one another” as they played the game, and created a fun environment for everyone. Victor’s presence was invaluable at the event as a Spanish speaker, energetic member of the team, and a welcoming representative as he continued to push forward First Tee’s mission of breaking down the barriers that keep these families from getting involved with our program.
As Victor joins the team full time to assist in the recruitment of new families and bolster community events, we look forward to incorporating him as “this event was just a small glimpse as to what kind of joy [First Tee and our] partners can bring to children.”
Learn more about our School Program and outreach.