The First Tee Northern Nevada teaches golf and life skills to thousands of students.
"We currently have 2,200 kids in our green grass program, but we serve over 40,000 in the school district," said Executive Director Chris Dewar. "So when school is going we go to the elementary schools and show them what golf looks like and touch on our core values."
It's a program some students stay with for years.
"I was in the parent child class with my dad when I was six years old," said recent Galena High School Graduate Jackson Bellard. "So when I started playing I got hooked, went through the entire program, and now I've been coaching with The First Tee, giving back to the program that gave so much to me, for about three years now."
Bellard received a $1,000 scholarship through the organization but ended up giving it back after learning he was getting a full-ride scholarship to the University of Texas at Austin.
"I returned it and asked they'd give it to someone in The First Tee program that didn't have as many opportunities as I did," he said. "The First Tee has molded me into the person I've become today and I owe so much to the program."
He's a pilot and hopes to get his Certified Flight Instructor rating while in college.
"I'm going to be studying aerospace engineering and I want to go into aircraft design to help make aircraft safer, more accessible and for efficient in the future," Bellard said.
The nonprofit had to cancel the Spring session due to the pandemic, and fundraising efforts have been hampered as well.
"We have a golf tournament at Hidden Valley Country Club on October 5 and we're putting a plea out for everyone to help, Dewar said. "This is going to be our only fundraiser of the year and it's going to be a lot of fun."
For more information, visit their website.
